Rending the Veil
by DesertRose3000
Summary: After high school graduation, change looms for Yugi and friends. Based on a mix of manga and anime continuity. Ignores all sequels. Contains puzzleshipping and blindshipping, aka yaoi. Don't like? Don't read.
1. Loss Beyond Description

_A small point of light  
Floating upon dark waters  
Leaves a wake of tears_

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, July 16, 2000, Obon  
Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt_

 _"Silent Magician, direct attack on the player!" Mutou Yugi cried out as quickly as he could, before his resolve could crumble._

 _SILENT BURNING!_

 _A bright light chased away the darkness of the tomb for a fraction of a second. When it cleared, Atem was standing, shoulders slumped just a bit, his life points reduced to null._

 _It was Yugi, the winner, who slumped to the stone floor, sobbing brokenly. It was over. He had done what he had had to do. So why did he feel this terrible ache inside? He didn't move or look up as he heard the click of boots over the floor as he was approached._

 _"You did it, Partner. You won," the Pharaoh said, voice filled with pride, as a master might feel for the pupil who had just broken his most difficult technique._

 _Yugi still couldn't look up, couldn't meet the gaze of the one who had been his confidant and mentor for so long. The gnawing ache filled his heart and it took all his effort not to just dissolve into a sobbing mess. Then he felt a strong hand settle heavily on his right shoulder._

 _"Stand up! The winner shouldn't be on his knees," Atem chided. "I wouldn't cry if I were you."_

'No, of course not. You're so strong.'

 _"It's because I'm too weak. You were my hero, my goal. I wanted to be strong like you, that's all," Yugi sobbed._

 _"You're_ not _weak. You've always had a strength that no one could beat," the Other's voice admonished. "The strength of your kindness. That's what I learned from you, Partner."_

 _Finally, Yugi was able to look up and permit Atem to help him to his feet, the last time the ancient spirit would be able to do anything for him._

 _"The courage you showed by dueling me has shown me the path I must take," said the Other, hands resting on Yugi's shoulders._

 _"Other Me..." Yugi began._ 'I wish you didn't have to go!'

 _"No, Yugi. I'm not the 'other you' anymore, and you are no one but yourself, the only Mutou Yugi in the world," Atem said gently squeezing the younger man's shoulders._

 _As Yugi looked into the regal countenance and those beautiful crimson eyes, waves of sorrow broke over him at the thought that this would be the last time he would see his Other. Abruptly, he wrapped his arms around the spirit's waist and held on with all his strength, even as his heart began to dissolve into thousands of tiny pieces. After a fraction of a second, he felt Atem's arms wrap around him too, a hand caressing the back of his head; a strong, loving embrace that made everything else fade away. The two stood like that for what felt like way too short a time before they pulled apart._

 _"OK..." Yugi said quietly, looking his Other straight in the eye, their souls communing for the last time._

 _"The Eye of Wadjet guards the door to the afterlife. Through the Ceremonial Duel, it has seen the truth of the Pharaoh's soul. After 3,000 years of being lost in the world of the living, it is now time for the Pharaoh's soul to be welcomed into the afterlife," Isis intoned._

 _A collective gasp of shock arose from the onlookers._

 _"Soul of the Pharaoh, speak your name to the Eye," Isis instructed._

 _"Atem!" the Pharaoh's voice rang loud and clear._

 _A deep rumbling sound filled the room as the door started to slide open, flooding the dark room with brilliant, white light. Atem put one foot forward._

 _"Other Yugi!"_

 _The sound of his friends' voices staid the Pharaoh's steps. He could not bring himself to look back, for he knew if he did, he would lose his resolve to leave._

 _"Are you really going? You don't really have to go to the afterlife, do you? I mean, don't leave us!" Honda sobbed._

 _"Nnngh!" Jou was barely able to choke back a sob._

 _Bakura and Otogi could only look on in dismay and sorrow, while Grandpa's violet eyes were filled with a suspicious moisture._

 _Standing a bit away from the others, Kaiba gazed at the scene with sharp blue eyes, which betrayed no emotion, while Mokuba's softer eyes seemed to express the sorrow in both brothers' hearts._

 _The sounds of more sobs arose. Yugi broke down again and Anzu as well. Jou tried to stifle a sob, but was unsuccessful this time._

 _"Other Yugi, I mean... Atem," Anzu cried heartbrokenly. "I understand that you need to cross into that light. But once you go through, you won't be able to come back. Why?! I don't understand! We've been friends for so long. Now all of a sudden, you're going to leave? I just don't understand!"_

 _The Pharaoh's form was still, shoulders rigid, as though he were warring with himself._

 _"Anzu, ya don't gotta undastand; ya just gotta accept it. Burn dese memories into yer brain; da time ya spent wit' him and what ya felt, burn it in so ya nevah forget," Jou gently admonished his friend._

 _"Otha Yugi!" Jou called after the Pharaoh. "Even if yer a pharaoh, yer still Yugi to me! Even if a thousand years pass, we'll always be friends!"_

 _At this, Atem finally looked back at the group of people who had become so dear to him, a smile lighting his features._

"Yes," _his voice echoed through the room._

 _"We'll never forget you!"_ _Yugi called._

 _Atem started forward again, holding out his right hand in the familiar thumbs-up gesture. As he disappeared into the light, his form shifted from Other Yugi in the blue jacket, black tank top and leather pants, to Pharaoh Atem, in his white shenti, purple cape and gold finery._

"My Partner, my friends, thank you," _Atem's final words rang out, filling the room and everyone's souls with such a sweet ache that no one could hold back their tears now._

 _Yugi squinted his eyes and could just make out the hazy forms of the Pharaoh's friends and family from Ancient Egypt. This allowed his aching heart a tiny measure of comfort, knowing that Atem wouldn't be alone in the afterlife._

 _As they all watched, Atem's form disappeared gradually until he was entirely swallowed up by the white light. With a loud rumble, the doors slid shut again, cutting off the light and leaving the tomb in darkness once again._

 _Atem was gone..._

 _Getsuyobi, Monday, March 5, 2001_

Mutou Yugi's eyes flew open, and the young man sat up in bed, gasping. Reaching up a trembling hand, he touched his cheeks to find them damp with tears.

 _'It's been months since I've even thought about it,'_ he thought dismally. _'Why the random dream?'_

Yugi listened inwardly, hoping in vain to hear the deep, reassuring tones of his Other, as he once would have after having had a nightmare, yet knowing all the while that his inner ear would be met only with silence. There was no gentle voice to soothe him, give advice or hash out gaming strategy with him; only cold emptiness, a feeling of loss beyond description.

Reaching up automatically, Yugi pulled out from under his PJ top the cartouche that Anzu had given to the Pharaoh, on which was engraved the hieroglyphs for his name: Atem. The small pendant had resided against Yugi's chest for the past eight months, never being removed, not even when Yugi showered.

His gaze fell upon the golden box reposing on his window sill, inside which dwelt the dueling decks that Yugi and Atem had built together. Those cards had gotten them through many difficult times, but had also led to their final parting, so looking at them always stung Yugi's heart a bit.

Yugi slowly rolled out of bed and knelt before the small butsudan that Grandpa and he had erected in the corner of his room upon their return from Egypt. Moving automatically, he performed the daily ritual that had become second nature to him over the past eight months.

Yugi opened the wooden doors and gazed upon the small black memorial tablet with the katakana for the Pharaoh's name inscribed on it.

Yugi held out the cartouche and gently tapped it against the small silver singing bowl, creating a beautiful chiming sound, soft and sweet, which floated up to the heavens, and hopefully to Atem's ears. He folded his hands in silent prayer.

 _'Other Me... I don't know if you can hear me anymore... But I miss you,'_ Yugi thought as tears welled in his eyes. _'It's been almost a year, but the pain hasn't eased at all. The silence in my head is deafening.'_

Yugi's fingers softly caressed the hieroglyphs engraved on the cartouche.

 _'The Ceremonial Duel was our final goodbye to each other. It was the right thing to do. Just as Isis said, the souls of the dead don't belong in the world of the living. As your vessel, it was my_ duty _to send you to the afterlife!'_

Yugi stopped and shook his head vigorously. 'Right thing to do,' 'Duty,' 'He didn't belong!' These were but empty platitudes to try to cover up the nakedness of loss.

 _'Even if it_ was _the right thing to do, I miss you so much, it hurts!'_ Yugi groaned inwardly, resting his brow against the butsudan's wooden surface.

"Yuuuugi! Come down for breakfast! You're going to be late!" Grandpa's voice from downstairs intruded upon his thoughts.

Startled, Yugi straightened up and looked at his clock. The time indicated to him that he had been in front of the shrine for ten minutes already! Plainly, there was no time to be wasted, as today was another school day, one of the last he would have to endure. In just one more week, he, Mazaki Anzu, Honda Hiroto, Bakura Ryou, and even the thick skulled Jounouchi Katsuya would be graduating from Domino High. Where _had_ the time gone?!

"Coming, Grandpa!"

Hastily closing the butsudan's doors, Yugi rose and changed for the day. After dressing in his blue uniform with white collared shirt and grooming his seemingly untamable hair, he thumped down the stairwell that led to the lower level of the house, where the living area and kitchen/dining area reposed. The smell of the German breakfast, hash brown sausages, filled his nostrils. Having traversed the world in his younger days, Grandpa knew many wonderful recipes, which he had cataloged meticulously, and never failed to make a tasty meal for them.

"Morning, Yugi," said Mutou Sugoroku brightly as he brought everything to the table.

"Morning, Grandpa," said Yugi as he sat down.

"Thanks for the food!"

As Grandfather and grandson ate in companionable silence, Sugoroku glanced at the boy... no, young man, who sat with him. Yugi had changed so much since that day two years ago when he had solved the Millennium Puzzle. Not only had his dueling skills advanced greatly, but his confidence as well. No longer did Yugi cower and hide his face when confronted by unpleasant people and situations. Now he held his head up and always stood up for himself, albeit still politely.

 _'Yugi and Atem were a good influence on each other. From Atem, Yugi learned to be strong and to stand up for himself and from Yugi, Atem learned kindness and compassion. I'll always be grateful that they were able to know each other,'_ Sugoroku thought as he ate.

After breakfast, Yugi cleared his dishes, then grabbed his backpack and blue jacket and stepped down into his boots.

"I'm off!" he called to Grandpa as he went through the side door to where Jou, Honda, Anzu and Bakura were waiting for him.

"Have a good day!" Grandpa called after him.

Yugi fell in with his friends and they began the walk to school.

"Just t'ink guys, one more week and we're done widdis shit," Jou remarked happily. "I can't wait to burn dis uniform."

"I've had enough education for a _lifetime_ ," spoke Honda, voice heavy with weariness.

Yugi had to bite back a giggle at this because Honda and Jou always slept through most of the school day.

"I'll finally be able to work fulltime at the museum," declared Bakura.

"I was able to save up enough money to go to New York!" cried Anzu happily.

"Dat's great, Anzu! You'll be a first class dancer b'fore ya know it!" congratulated Jou.

Yugi was silent. In all the excitement of their adventures and then the huge adjustment of returning to normal life after leaving Egypt, he had completely forgotten that Anzu wanted to leave Japan.

 _'She's really gonna leave,'_ he thought, eyes dimming a fraction. _'This was always her dream. Well, I'm happy for her I'll support her in any way I can, no matter how much it hurts...'_

"Um, my grandpa and I could probably give you a lift to the airport when you're ready to go," the young man offered quietly.

"Thank you so much, Yugi," said Anzu with a bright smile.

Soon, the familiar school gates came into view and the students crossed through them and into the school, where they left their shoes in their lockers and donned their white school slippers before going up to their senior classroom.

Yugi and friends sat through another boring day of lectures, pointless busywork, speeches, announcements and rallies.

At long last, the clarion call of the dismissal bell sounded. The students put their stuff in their backpacks, stood up from their desks and headed to get the cleaning equipment. The teens worked in silence as they pushed all the desks to the side so they could clean the floor. Anzu swept up while Jou polished the windows, Honda cleaned the blackboard and Bakura emptied the garbage can. Yugi wiped down the desks, then mopped up after Anzu finished sweeping.

Finished with the cleanup, the five teens congregated at the shoe lockers.

"Let's go ta Burger World!" Jou suggested amiably.

"I'm in," agreed Honda.

"The new Triple Cheese Supreme looks very tempting," was Bakura's response.

"Fattening," warned Anzu. "Yugi, are you coming?"

Yugi sighed regretfully as he stepped into his boots.

"I can't tonight, guys. Grandpa needs my help in the shop," he declined with a slight bow of his head.

"OK, pal. See ya t'morrow," said Jou, nothing daunted.

"Say hi to your grandpa for us, Yugi," said Anzu.

"See ya!" this from Honda.

"I'll let you know how the Triple Cheese Supreme is," said Bakura.

"You'll get such a potbelly!" cried Anzu. "See you tomorrow, Yugi!"

With a wistful sigh, Yugi departed the school grounds and walked toward the game shop. He would have liked to have gone to Burger World with his friends, but it was his duty to help Grandpa. Yugi wasn't certain if it was his imagination, but Grandpa seemed to move a bit more slowly than he once had and to tire more easily. Yugi decided to forego hanging with his friends until Grandpa had a bit more spring in his step.

 _'I have to get him to go to the doctor,'_ Yugi thought as he walked home.

 _Kame Game Shop_

Yugi entered through the side door and stepped out of his boots before stepping into the house.

"I'm home!"

Grandpa stuck his head out, causing a smile to break across the teen's features.

"Welcome home!" declared Sugoroku as he began shuffling downstairs.

"Let me change, then I'll be down to help you," said Yugi.

"Thanks, my boy. I know you could have been down at Burger World with your friends, so your coming home instead means a lot to me," said Sugoroku with a loving gaze.

"You don't have to thank me, Grandpa. You're my family and that always comes first," declared Yugi solemnly before disappearing up the steps to his room.

 _'What a good, selfless heart that grandson of mine has. The heavens truly smiled on me,'_ Sugoroku thought happily as he continued downstairs.

After trading his school uniform for a blank tank top and leather pants, Yugi made his way downstairs, through the house and into the game shop proper, where Grandpa was sitting behind the register.

"The register is yours," said Sugoroku with a smile.

With a brief smile and a nod, Yugi sank in behind the register to watch the door for any customers while Sugoroku went to sort stock in the storage room.

 _Later..._

Yugi sat behind the counter, idly watching the door for any sign of entering customers. So far, only a handful of people had dropped by today and only two had actually made purchases. This gave Yugi's mind plenty of idle time and he found himself thinking of his dream from that morning, a dream which had dredged up heavy, unpleasant memories which he couldn't share with Grandpa, nor with Jou, Anzu, or Honda. For although they were kindhearted and supportive, they could never understand...

[Flashback]

 _One week after returning from Egypt..._

 _The students had just finished cleaning up for the day. They were outside, getting ready to walk to Burger World when they saw Bakura stepping out the door and walking away from them, instead of joining them, as had become their custom since their return from Egypt._

 _"Bakura ain't comin' wit' us?" asked Jou._

 _"Let me go ask him," offered Yugi._

 _While the others waited, Yugi approached Bakura._

 _"Aren't you gonna walk to Burger World with us, Bakura?" he asked._

 _The doe-eyed teenager smiled at Yugi and shook his fluffy head._

 _"I start working at the museum after school today. I have to catalog many new items for the Egyptian wing," he spoke softly._

 _Yugi flinched at the mention of_ that _country._

 _"Isn't that against school rules?" he asked._

 _Bakura smiled sweetly._

 _"My father pulled some strings and got me special permission," was his answer._

 _"Lucky Bakura," said Yugi with a faint smile, even as a sudden, inexplicable compulsion seized his brain, tearing the next words from his throat before he could stop them."Want me to come help you?"_

 _"Oh, no. I couldn't possibly ask you to..." Bakura tried to decline._

 _"You aren't asking; I'm offering," pointed out Yugi._

 _"Well, if you really wouldn't mind, I_ could _use the help. I'll treat you to dinner at Burger World after as a thank you," Bakura said, features lighting a bit._

 _"OK. Lemme go tell the others," said Yugi._

 _Bakura nodded and Yugi went to tell the others he wouldn't be joining them at Burger World that afternoon._

 _The two young men walked to the Domino City Museum. Yugi felt his heart turning to lead in his chest as they approached the building, which had been the keystone to retrieving his departed friend's lost memories._

 _Bakura led Yugi into the museum and into one of back rooms where all the new Egyptian artifacts resided, waiting to be cataloged. Yugi looked around the room, which looked as though it could have been a pharaoh's tomb and something in him broke._

 _Images of Atem, with the bronze skin, white shenti and golden diadem, looking so exotic and beautiful, arose unbidden in his mind's eye. Tears stung the corners of Yugi's eyes and his chin began to tremble._

 _Upon seeing the change in his usually cheerful friend, Bakura came up to Yugi's side and stared long and hard at the room with him. Even now, he could feel the phantom impression of the Millennium Ring against his chest._

 _"It's a unique experience that you and I went through," he mused. "To share your body and mind with another soul is beyond understanding, and never to be forgotten."_

 _"Never," agreed Yugi, lowering his head as a wave of sorrow engulfed him._

 _Bakura laid his hand gently on Yugi's shoulder, the only way he could think of to try to comfort his heartbroken friend._

 _"You miss him that badly, don't you?"_

 _Yugi nodded, breath hitching in his chest as the tears continued to fall. Of all the dear friends he had, only the silver-haired young man standing at his side could truly understand the depths of his loss._

 _"It's the silence in m-my head," Yugi cried, brokenly. "I'll be th-thinking and expect to hear him reply, but n-now there's nothing. I just feel so..."_

 _"Empty," Bakura finished._

 _Yugi nodded rapidly._

 _"You'll always miss him, Yugi. But he'll always be with you, as long as you remember what you learned from him and that close bond you both shared," Bakura said, squeezing Yugi's shoulder gently._

 _Bakura continued to grip Yugi's shoulder while the tricolor took deep breaths in order to compose himself. After a few minutes, the flow of tears stemmed and Yugi's breathing evened out._

 _With nothing else to say about the matter, the two young men got to work, cataloging and counting all the new artifacts. It was long, boring work, but at last they put away their last artifacts, their stomachs crying out for food._

 _"Now I owe you that burger and Coke," Bakura observed at length._

 _Yugi looked at Bakura and managed a wan smile._

 _"I think I'll call in your tab," he joked._

 _"Come on!" said Bakura and with that, the two young men exited the museum and headed for Burger World._

 _Hours later..._

 _By the time Yugi and Bakura emerged from Burger World, night had fallen, gracing them with a navy blue sky bedizzened by stars that twinkled like diamonds. As they began to walk, Bakura stopped and craned his head back to some stars directly overhead of them. Yugi stopped and looked over at the silver haired teen. Bakura had always been a bit strange, so this behavior didn't surprise him in the least._

 _"I didn't know you were a stargazer," he said._

 _Bakura laughed quietly as he lowered his gaze to meet with Yugi's._

 _"Normally, I'm not. However, the stars overhead remind me of something my father told me on one of his rare visits," Bakura said._

 _Yugi looked overhead and saw the constellations he recognized as the Little and Big Dippers._

 _"And what's that?" he asked._

 _"He said that when a Pharaoh died, his soul was shot out of a chute in his pyramid aimed directly at the North Star, which at the time was surrounded by two fixed stars: Beta Ursae Minoris and Zeta Ursae Majoris, which the Ancient Egyptians called_ ikhemu-sek, _or The Indestructibles. If he made it to the stars, his soul was guaranteed entrance into paradise," mused Bakura._

 _Yugi felt himself swallowing around a large lump as he gazed up at the stars overhead._

'That's where you are now, Other Me. I'm happy for you. It's what you deserve after being trapped in the darkness for so long,' _Yugi thought as he worked to control the trembling of his jaw._

 _With nothing more to say between them, Yugi and Bakura started walking toward their respective homes. Neither of them saw the shooting star that flew briefly overhead._

'Rest well... Atem.'

 _Kame Game Shop_

 _That night..._

 _Sugoroku and Yugi were watching a documentary on the excavation of King Tut's tomb. The ancient pharaoh, whose whole existence had been erased from history for centuries but was now the most famous, struck a deep chord in both of them._

 _"Now that's what I'd call justice," Sugoroku spoke up as the credits rolled._

 _"What is?" asked Yugi._

 _"How Ramses II tried to erase Tut from history, but these days, Tut is the best known pharaoh, while Ramses II is an also ran," expounded Sugoroku, violet eyes twinkling._

 _Yugi caressed the cartouche beneath his shirt, eyes far away in thought. An ancient pharaoh, whose name might never have graced the history books... How that thought made his heart ache!_

 _"I want do that..." he murmured._

 _"Eh?" said Sugoroku._

 _Yugi turned to his grandfather, face as serious as the old man could ever remember seeing it._

 _"For my Other Self, for Atem!" he spoke up. "I want his name and deeds to be recorded in the history books too. He saved Ancient Egypt! He deserves better than to be forgotten. He should be honored!"_

 _Sugoroku couldn't help but smile at the resolve shining in his grandson's luminous eyes._

 _"I agree with you," he stated. "But changing the history books is easier said than done. Proof and peer reviews are required."_

 _"I'll write a letter to Isis. I'm sure she'll have all the proof we need. As for peer reviews, what about Professor Yoshimori?" suggested Yugi, eyes shining with enthusiasm._

 _"Of course! Tell Isis to send everything to him! I'll get you his address to forward to her. I think between all of us, we can get Pharaoh Atem's name into history where it belongs!" said Sugoroku._

 _"Thanks, Grandpa," smiled Yugi._

[/Flashback]

Week followed after week and month after month. Before Yugi and the others even realized it, life had slipped back into the old groove of before all their Duel Monsters adventures, with the teens attending school, hanging out and just generally growing up.

Now here he was, almost at the end of his senior year. Soon he and his friends would have their diplomas and would begin making their way in the larger world. But what sorts of change would that entail? The more Yugi thought about it, the more he realized there could only be one outcome: Anzu would be leaving for New York. Bakura would work in the museum, but would likely travel the world one day, digging for artifacts. And who _knew_ what Jou and Honda were planning?! One by one, his friends would all move away to live their own lives. Yugi wouldn't be able to follow. As the only living relative, it would be his duty to run the game shop if anything should, Kami-sama forbid, happen to Grandpa. They would all go on, while he remained behind.

 _'Why do people have to grow up, move on... change?'_ Yugi thought dismally.

A loud clatter from the stockroom pulled Yugi sharply from his reverie. Swiveling his head toward the door, Yugi listened for a moment.

"Grandpa?!" he called.

"Unh..." Grandpa's voice sounded from the room.

Yugi was up off the stool, tearing back into the storage room. There, slumped against the wall, staring blankly at a box on the floor, was Grandpa.

"Grandpa!" Yugi cried, kneeling down before the elder. "Are you OK?!"

"Eh? Oh, yes. Sorry. Can you lend an old man your hand?" said Sugoroku, seeming to recover his senses.

Yugi was able to pull Sugoroku to his feet, but the elder immediately stumbled, leaning his weight on Yugi.

"Maybe you should see a doctor," Yugi suggested.

"Nah. I overdid things a bit today. I'm sorry *cough* to have worried you, Yugi. If you can manage things from here, I think I'll go rest a while," said Sugoroku.

After helping Sugoroku upstairs and to bed, Yugi silently returned to the stockroom and picked up the box that Grandpa had dropped. It was quite light and shouldn't have been any trouble for the old man carry.

 _'Grandpa, what happened to you?'_ Yugi thought unhappily as he put the box in its place before returning to the register.

 _Mokuyobi, Thursday, March 15, 2001_

Yugi was sitting in his room, engrossed in an old Mario Brothers video game, jumping Mario from one platform to the next, climbing ladders and powering up with mushrooms, when an envelope was slid under his door.

"Mail for you," called Grandpa's voice.

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Yugi called indifferently as he continued to play.

"It's from *cough* the professor!" Grandpa's voice called again.

 _'The professor!'_ thought Yugi, quickly pausing his game and diving for the envelope.

He opened the door, revealing Grandpa standing on the other side.

"C'mon in and sit down!" Yugi said quickly.

After Grandpa was seated in Yugi's chair, Yugi tore the envelope open and read the missive aloud.

Dear Yugi, I have been in contact with Isis Ishtar regarding Pharaoh Atem's place in history. Ms. Ishtar told me everything and showed me the evidence of the Pharaoh's deeds in history as well as his name. Please look forward to a revised version of the Domino University history book, which will correct the Nameless Pharaoh with the name Atem. Congratulations, Yugi. Your friend's place in history is assured. Cordially, Professor Yoshimori

For a moment, Yugi and Grandpa could only stare at each other. Then, a giddy feeling sprung up in Yugi's core and spread through the rest of his body, engulfing him in dizzying warmth.

"YES!" the teen cried, jumping up into the air, letter and envelope flying from his hands.

"You did it, *cough* Yugi!" cried Sugoroku, struggling out of the chair and embracing his grandson warmly.

 _'You're in the history books, Other Me!'_ Yugi cried inwardly as he returned his grandfather's embrace, even as he absently felt that it wasn't as firm as he was used to.


	2. Graduation

_Kayobi, Tuesday, March 20, 2002  
Graduation Day_

Clad in their graduation suits, but holding their jackets over their left arms, Yugi and his friends marched into the gym among the other graduates. As the principal called out instructions on where to turn, Yugi and the others followed, not missing a beat. Even Jou and Honda acted with surprising decorum as they marched.

The principal called out for the groups to freeze, and they froze on a dime, nobody moving a muscle. He then called out another instruction and everyone started walking backwards, the two groups intersecting as they walked, causing the audience to clap in amazement. The principal then called out the next instruction and the two groups recombined, then walked to the middle of the gym, where the principal instructed everyone to sit down, row after row, from front to back.

The principal then began reading off the names of the graduates with the special honors and highest grades. Yugi watched as each student stood up, bowed, then sat back down again. Neither he, nor his friends had received any such honors, so they had the chance to rest for the time being.

Yugi looked and saw Jou sitting just to his right. The blond subtly turned his gaze to Yugi and the two exchanged a secret smile before looking forward again.

After the principal had called out a few more names, the instruction was given to stand up again. All the students stood, broke up into smaller groups and began marching around the gym according to the principal's instructions once again. The groups marched in formations, froze perfectly upon command, then sat down in rows, standing and sitting quickly upon command.

The principal called out another instruction and the students were marching two by two. As they walked, Yugi found himself next to Anzu, who winked at him before they turned their gazes ahead so they could move perfectly within the group formation. After several more amazing drill formations, the principal called out the final instruction and the entire group marched out of the gym to receive their diplomas backstage.

 _That evening..._

"Man, all dat marchin' around 'n shit. Was we in school or da army?" groused Jou as the friends walked toward Burger World for their grad party.

"Ah, quitcher bitchin'. At least we're finally outta that hellhole," replied Honda indifferently. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm gonna get smashed tonight."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Jou. "What about you three?"

This directed toward Yugi, Bakura and Anzu.

"Ah, sorry, but I have to start packing and make arrangements for my flight to New York," said Anzu, holding her hands up in apology.

Yugi's heart sank in his chest at these words. So soon? He had hoped that Anzu would at least stay the summer and here she was, already making plans to leave!

"What about you, Bakura? Wanna tie one on with us?" offered Honda.

"I'm really tired from all that marching about," Bakura declined with a scrunched up smile and holding up his hands.

"Party pooper," said Honda with a half-smirk.

"So Yugi, you wanna come git wasted wit' us?" asked Jou over his shoulder.

"Um, Grandpa's expecting me home by 10," explained Yugi, also holding his hands up.

"Man, you three ain't no fun," groused Jou. "OK, me 'n Honda'll drink in your places."

"Thanks, guys," smiled Yugi.

With that, the five friends entered Burger World, put in their orders and spent the evening stuffing themselves with burgers, fries, and Cokes.

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, April 3, 2001_

"Yugi, Anzu's here!" called Grandpa's voice from downstairs.

Yugi looked up from the wood and rice paper spread out on his desk, immediately jumped up from his chair and charged down the staircase. When he saw his childhood friend, a huge smile cracked his face.

"Anzu!"

"Hi, Yugi! I was wondering if we could walk around town together, for old time's sake," spoke Anzu.

Yugi looked to his Grandpa.

"Go on, you two. *cough* Enjoy the day," said Sugoroku with an indulgent smile.

"Thanks, Grandpa!" said Yugi as he went for his boots.

Yugi and Anzu made a day of it. First, they went to the Spider, where Yugi watched Anzu beat anyone who dared to challenge her at DDR. Her movements were graceful and on point and Yugi could see that one day, she would be a great professional dancer.

After the club, Anzu and Yugi went down to the old arcade. Yugi noted sadly that not as many kids were coming in anymore. With the rise of home PC gaming and high speed Internet, more and more people were turning to that medium for their gaming fix.

Yugi went and bought tokens for both of them and he and Anzu had a fine time trying out all the different video games there, boxing and martial arts games, car racing, etc. Yugi won top score in everything, happily putting his name YGO at the top of all the score boards.

Yugi and Anzu went to the movie theater and took in Legally Blonde, which made Yugi laugh so hard that he fell out of his seat. After the movie, they stopped at Burger World for a healthy dinner of hamburgers, fries and Cokes.

"After all, once I start training, I'll be limited to eating salad, fish and chicken," Anzu said, wrinkling her nose.

Yugi and Anzu made their way to Domino Pier. The sun's light had mostly died out now, casting a calm afterglow on the gently lapping water as gulls lazily swooped up and down, squawking as they hunted for tidbits. This was a place that held lots of memories for them.

"Remember when we sailed for Duelist Kingdom? It seems like just yesterday we were sneaking onboard that ship," mused Anzu.

"Yeah. I'm so glad all you guys came with me. I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without you," said Yugi.

"It was our unity that got us through all those tough times," Anzu remarked gravely. "That won't change, Yugi. Even if all of us end up moving far away, remembering will keep us friends."

Yugi nodded vigorously, rapidly blinking his eyes to keep the threatening tears from falling. The two fell silent for a bit after that, watching the gently lapping waters and the gulls that swooped up and down above the waves, squawking as the wind bore them aloft.

Anzu reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which she proffered to Yugi, who took it and opened it. On it was written an email address: dancingqueen _.com.

"If you ever get the chance to go online, email me and we can keep in touch that way," she offered.

"Thanks, Anzu. I can probably get online on Grandpa's computer," said Yugi as he folded up the paper and put it away. 'Even if I do, it won't be the same.'

"I can't believe I'm this close to realizing my dream. I'm so nervous and excited," said Anzu as she looked out at the horizon over the ocean again.

"I know you can do it, Anzu. You'll become a world famous dancer and I'll be so proud of you," said Yugi as he idly tossed some bread to the flying gulls, which swooped down and carried it off.

"Yugi, I promise when I do my debut, I'll fly you and all our friends to New York to see me personally!" Anzu piped up suddenly.

"I'd love to go!" Yugi cried happily. "It would be so awesome to visit the Big..."

"Apple," Anzu supplied.

"Yeah. I can see it now. We'll walk around all day, taking in all the sights, then in the evening, we can all watch you dance on stage," exclaimed Yugi, rapt light illuminating his large eyes.

"Then I'll work hard so that day will come sooner rather than later," said Anzu, eyes shining with determination and reflecting the blue of the ocean before them.

"Yeah!" Yugi agreed happily.

Nothing more to be said, the two old friends turned and walked away from the pier, leaving the gulls to their forage.

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, April 15, 2001_

Yugi was up at the crack of dawn. Today was the day he had been dreading: Anzu's departure for New York. After dressing for the day, a downhearted Yugi headed downstairs to eat breakfast with Grandpa.

"Good morning, Yugi *cough*," exclaimed Sugoroku as he brought out the breakfast of miso, fish and tamago kake gohan.

"Morning, Grandpa," Yugi replied absently as Grandpa set his breakfast before him.

Sugoroku's heart felt like lead at the sight of Yugi's pale, sad face. Any loss of a friend weighed heavily on Yugi's sensitive soul and Anzu's departure felt like a cruel blow, as she was his oldest friend.

 _Haneda International Airport, Tokyo_

Yugi, Anzu and the others made their way through the throngs of people milling about the huge airport. The air rang with the continuous announcements of the arrivals and departures of flights. It would be so easy to get lost in that huge place, but thankfully, Anzu had worked everything out ahead of time and knew right where to go.

After Anzu had taken care of her ticket and sent her checked bags on ahead, the group made their way to the boarding area. Outside the huge windows, jets could be seen on the tarmac, some parked, some slowly taxiing to begin their takeoff. In a matter of minutes, Anzu would be on one of those jets, flying across the Pacific Ocean to a distant land.

"Thank you all for everything. I'll look forward to seeing all of you at my professional debut," Anzu said with a bow to her dear friends.

"Break a leg, Anzu!" Jou cheered.

"Give 'em hell!" encouraged Honda.

"May you dance divinely," wished Bakura.

"You'll have to beat all the fanboys off with a stick," teased Otogi.

"We'll see you soon, Anzu," was all Yugi could trust himself to say.

"It's a promise!" said Anzu with a wink as she held up her fingers in the V for victory sign.

With that, she turned and headed for the entrance to the jet, pulling her small suitcase along behind her. With one last glance over her shoulder and wave goodbye, Mazaki Anzu disappeared from their lives, seemingly forever.

Yugi swallowed the tears that were threatening to break forth as he forced himself to remember the promise between them.

 _'I'll see you at your debut, Anzu,'_ he thought as the group left the airport.

 _That night  
Kame Game Shop_

Yugi and Grandpa sat at the table, eating. At least, Grandpa was eating, while Yugi was gazing forlornly at a small scrap of paper while his layered pork, cabbage and potatoes were rapidly cooling.

"What's on that paper that's so important that *cough* you're staring at it and letting your dinner get cold?" inquired Grandpa.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Anzu gave me her email address. She wants to email while she's in school," explained Yugi.

"Oh ho!" said Grandpa. "You don't seem very enthusiastic."

"Emailing isn't the same as seeing the person every day," mourned Yugi, absently fingering the paper.

"No, it isn't. But it's better than not being able to talk to them at all," pointed out Grandpa wisely.

"I guess..." agreed Yugi listlessly as he shoved the paper in his pocket, picked up his chopsticks and unenthusiastically attacked the cooling pork before it turned to rubber.

"Cough cough! Hack hack!" Grandpa was suddenly seized by a coughing fit, having to grab his napkin and cough into it.

"Grandpa, won't you please go to the doctor?" Yugi asked, staring worriedly at the old man.

"Ha ha! It's just a little cough, my boy. I'll be fine once the air warms up," said Sugoroku dismissively.

Yugi blinked and went back to his dinner, hoping that Grandpa's words were the truth.

 _Next morning..._

The day dawned clear and bright with warm winds chasing away the last chill of winter.

Yugi cleared away his breakfast tray, then went to run for his boots to go tearing out into the wider world. Just as he was about to step down into the genkan, Sugoroku approached.

"Yugi, I've a special surprise for you today," he announced with a twinkle in his violet eyes.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"Tut tut! Don't be impatient, my boy. *cough* Let's take a ride into town today," said Sugoroku, donning his mask and stepping down into his shoes.

"OK," said Yugi, finding a small smile.

Maybe spending the day with Grandpa would be a welcome distraction, Yugi thought as they got in the car and Sugoroku started the engine. Yugi was also glad to see that Grandpa seemed a bit peppier today than he had been of late, though that worrisome cough remained.

 _'I guess the warmer weather really is helping him,'_ Yugi thought with a small smile as he buckled his seatbelt.

Soon they were on the road into Downtown Domino, where they parked in front of a little cell phone shop that had recently opened.

"Here we are," Sugoroku announced, climbing out of the car.

"You're getting a phone?" Yugi asked, rather shocked to say the least, as Grandpa was hopelessly old school when it came to technology, keeping an old computer in the back room of the shop with a dialup connection solely for stock purchases.

"Yes, but not for myself," Sugoroku answered with a wink.

"For me? Grandpa..." Yugi began.

"Yes, Yugi. Think of this as a slightly belated graduation present. The phones they're selling nowadays will allow you to email with distant friends as well," said Grandpa.

"Thanks, Grandpa!" cried Yugi, pulling Sugoroku into his arms in complete oblivion of the stares such a forward display of affection garnered.

Once in the store, Yugi picked out a smart little navy blue flip phone with a camera. The store clerk was very kind and helped Yugi to set up his phone number and email address, which he had no trouble thinking of: blackmage _.com.

After everything was set up and paid for, Sugoroku took Yugi to eat at Burger World. While absently eating a hamburger, Yugi pulled out his new phone, started the email program, entered dancingqueen _.com and fired off his first email to her.

blackmage: **Dear Anzu,**

 **Grandpa must be a mind reader. He just bought me a phone with email! He's the best grandpa anyone could hope for!**

 **Anyway, I hope you had a good trip to the USA and do good in your dancing school. Looking forward to the day we can all see you dance on the big stage in person. Please write back soon.**

 **Your friend,**

 **Yugi**

On the way home, Yugi's phone vibrated in his pocket.

dancingqueen: **Hi yugi! So good to hear from you. I'm glad we'll be able to email and talk a lot. The flight over was good, but jet lag is hell. Write back soon!**

 **Anzu**

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, May 6, 2001,_

With the end of Golden Week, businesses would reopen and everyone would return to school and work. Yugi and Jou sat on a bench in the mall, drinking fruit flavored slushies and just generally enjoying their last day of freedom before Yugi would have to run the shop again.

"So you wanna hang out again after I close the shop tomorrow?" Yugi asked.

To Yugi's surprise, Jou frowned and shook his head.

"Sorry, pal. No can do. I gotta work t'morrow," the blond explained.

Yugi almost spat out his slushie.

"Work?! You?! Since when?! Where?!" he yelped.

Jou threw his head back and laughed openly at his friend's flabbergasted state.

"Haw haw haw! Yeah. Since last week. At Kaiba Corp," he answered gleefully.

This time, Yugi really did spit out some of his slushie, getting his t-shirt wet in the process.

"Kaiba Corp?!" he yelped.

"Yep," Jou grinned. "Kinda shockin', eh?"

"A bit..." Yugi agreed as he wiped his chin with his arm. "How in the seven hells did you end up working for Kaiba?"

"Dis is a good story," Jou began.

"I'll bet," glowered Yugi.

"Yeah, so shaddap and lemme tell it," said Jou. "Anyway, last week, when ya had to run da shop all da time, I just went t'da arcade to kill time. Well, Rich Boy was actually dere! He said it was his first time hangin' out dere in ova a year 'n to git da hell outta his way. Just as he started walkin' away, some dude jus' come up outta nowhere 'n grabbed his wallet outta his back pocket. Well, I jumped da fucka 'n punched'm out cold. When Kaiba saw dat, he said maybe even mongrels could be useful 'n offered me a security gig at his office 'n at his amusement park when it opens in June."

Jou smirked proudly before taking a big gulp of his slushie.

It took poor Yugi a full five minutes to actually wrap his brain around everything. Finally, his mind and mouth began to function again.

"Wow! That's quite a story. I'm glad everything worked out. Maybe now that he's seen what you can do, Kaiba will actually be civil to you," he said hopefully.

"Somehow, I doubt dat. He said if I was even five minutes late on my first day, he'd dock me five hours pay," pointed out Jou.

"Now that sounds more like the Kaiba we know! Well, good luck, Jou. You'll need it!" Yugi laughed as he took a sip of his slushie.

"We'll hang out real soon, Yuge. I swear," Jou said more solemnly.

"Yeah, I know," said Yugi with a sad smile.

"Kinda crazy how everythin' changed. Dis time last year, we was dukin' it out in Battle City 'n now here we are, done wit' high school 'n workin'," Jou continued.

"Yeah. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later," Yugi agreed, finding his slushie interesting.

"I kinda wish it'd been latah rathah dan soonah," said Jou.

At this, Yugi could only nod as he and Jou had both realized that graduating from high school signalled the end of their carefree youth loud and clear. Now the greater burdens of adulthood were starting to loom up on them and their friends little by little.

 _Doyobi, Saturday, June 2, 2001_

"Happy birthday, Yugi!" Grandpa, Jou, Honda, Bakura and Otogi all said in unison as Grandpa carried out a huge birthday cake with 18 candles on it.

Huge eyes shining with happiness, Yugi leaned forward and blew out all the candles in a single breath. This formality completed, Grandpa handed Yugi the knife and the birthday boy divided the cake into six even pieces and passed them out.

After cake, it was gift time. From Jou, Yugi got the newest Duel Monsters booster pack and a CD-ROM containing the video game Unreal Tournament on it. Taped to its case was a folded up paper, which Yugi took and pocketed.

From Bakura, a book on ancient games and Riven, from Honda a couple of puzzles based on movies they had seen and Doom and from Otogi, the latest home edition of DDM and Wolfenstein.

"Thanks, guys. These are all great," Yugi answered as he looked over his gifts appreciatively.

Honestly, he wasn't sure about what to do with the CD-ROMs though.

"Yugi! Package!" said Grandpa, coming in with a box with international shipping labels on it.

"It's from Anzu!" Yugi cried happily as he read the labels.

"Well don't just sit dere starin' at it! Open it up!" Jou encouraged.

Yugi tore the box open and found within several American comic books and video game titles for home PC.

"These are all great, but I don't have a PC," said a slightly crestfallen Yugi as he eyed all the new game titles longingly.

Unseen by the young gamer, a mutual glance passed between Grandpa and the others. Sugoroku disappeared into the storage room. A moment later, the squeak of the dolly's wheels was heard as Grandpa emerged, pushing something on it, which made Yugi turn and look.

"In all the excitement, I forgot to bring out *cough* your present. Happy birthday, Yugi," said Grandpa.

At the size of the wrapped package, Yugi jumped up from his place and ran over to it. Stopping only to look to Grandpa for approval, which the elder readily gave, Yugi tore the paper off... to reveal a brand new tower gaming PC reposing in its box.

"A computer? Grandpa!" Yugi cried, pulling his grandfather into a warm hug.

"Not just a computah; a custom-built gamin' rig," said Jou. "Ya kin play all da latest games on dis!"

"Jou, you knew about this?" asked Yugi, laughter bubbling up in his voice as he turned to the blond.

"We all did, actually," smiled Honda.

"Happy birthday, short stuff," smirked Otogi.

"Many happy returns, Yugi," said Bakura.

"Guys, I don't know what to say..." said Yugi.

"Dun say nothin'. Let's get dis baby setup and runnin'!" said Jou.

"Yeah!" cried everyone.

In a stampede of footsteps, Jou, Honda and Otogi took everything up to Yugi's room, where Yugi quickly cleared his desk off to allow the three young men to set everything up for him, not being that tech inclined himself. Jou, Honda and Otogi squabbled and shouted, tangling up wires, etc., but were eventually able to get everything hooked up.

"Ready fer da moment a truth?" asked Jou.

Yugi nodded vigorously.

"Honda, you turn on da monitor. I'll get da box," instructed Jou.

"3... 2... 1..."

Honda flipped on the monitor, whose LED glowed, indicating life. Jou flipped the power switch on the back of the box.

Yugi blinked, but as yet, nothing had happened. He was pretty sure a working computer was supposed to make some kind of noise and display something on its monitor.

"Yuge, press da button on da front!" Jou instructed, seeing his friend's perplexity.

Yugi gave a sharp press of the front power button and the machine roared to life, fans spinning up, case LEDs powering on, casting a blue glow on the machine's internals. The POST screen came on and then the machine booted into Windows XP.

"Dere ya go, Yug. Welcome to da 21st century," grinned Jou.

 _That evening..._

Yugi had a fine time surfing the Web on his new computer. The connection was dialup, so was slow. However, he found plenty of gaming websites with all kinds of tips and tricks for many different games, and bookmarked the best ones. He also downloaded KaZaa, with which he could search for and download songs from around the world.

Tired of surfing, Yugi turned to all the video games he had been given. The first one he pulled out was the Unreal Tournament CD-ROM. This reminded Yugi of the paper that had been stuck to it. He pulled it from his pocket and opened it up. In it was a note in Jou's scraggly handwriting.

 **"If you play this online, add Dog of War to your friend list and we'll frag."**

 _'Frag?'_ Yugi thought to himself as he popped the CD-ROM into the tray.

Soon, Yugi had the game installed and ready to run. He clicked through the menus until he found the option to set up an online profile. With no thought to it, Yugi typed black_mage as his user name and saved it.

Once the game was connected, Yugi went into the friend list and typed Dog of War. Instantly, the name popped up, showing that the player was online. Yugi double clicked the name so he could jump to the server Dog of War was currently playing on.

As soon as the map loaded with Yugi in observer mode, he saw a chat message from Dog of War pop up in the lower left corner of the screen.

Dog of War: **hey yuge hppy bday gld u cd gt on!**

Smiling, Yugi typed out his own message to Dog of War.

black_mage: **Hey, Jou. Be patient with me. I've never played a game like this before.**

Dog of War: **no worries ill go ez on u :D**

Just then, Yugi was spawned into the game. He had hardly had time to get his bearings when someone was charging at him and instantly blowing him away with rockets.

Yugi clicked his mouse button to respawn and ran for a nearby weapon, the minigun. He heard the roaring sound of the rockets again, turned and fired. He heard the other player yelling as the bullets hit him, however was still vaporized again by the rockets.

"Damn!" said Yugi as he typed out a quick message.

black_mage: **THIS is your idea of going easy on me? XD**

Dog of War: **n ths game, ya**

Yugi spawned near a tan weapon and picked it up. Dog of War sent more rockets his way. Yugi dodged to the right and fired, succeeding in hitting Dog of War, but not in fragging him, even as rockets exploding before him sent him into oblivion.

"Shit!" Yugi yelped as he clicked his mouse rapidly again.

He heard the roar of the rockets again, from the right! This time, Yugi jumped forward with the spacebar, turned and bounced the flak from the floor up into the face of Dog of War, who yelped and stumbled back, firing blindly. Seizing the opportunity, Yugi hit alt fire and fragged Dog of War.

Yugi and Jou spent the next few hours running about the maps. As time went on, Yugi was able to land a few frags on Jou with the flak cannon, but Jou definitely had Yugi's number with his rocket launcher.

Finally, Yugi was too tired to play anymore and still had to run the shop tomorrow.

black_mage: **Gotta call it a night. I have to open the shop tomorrow.**

Dog of War: **gr8 gms 2nyt yuge dnt giv ^ alwys lyk tht 4 n00bs lts do it agn 2mrw nite**

black_mage: **Thanks for the game Jou. I'll put you to sleep tomorrow.**

Dog of War: **cute yuge cya 2mrw**

Yugi let out a sigh of contentment. Even if Jou and he couldn't hang out every day anymore because of work, they could frag each other every night on all kinds of exotic maps.

Now that he was finished with high school, Yugi could begin working full time at the game shop. Grandpa would pay Yugi for the hours he worked, giving Yugi the money to pay his phone bill.

Having grown up helping Grandpa in the game shop, Yugi fell into his new role easily, stocking shelves, answering the phone, working the register, cleaning up at the end of the day and allowing Grandpa to rest more.

Each evening after closing, Yugi worked a bit on his new project, folding, cutting, gluing and carefully writing, fashioning something out of wood and rice paper for an upcoming festival.

Later still into the evening, Yugi would make long voyages into the online world, eagerly exploring and bookmarking different gaming sites, as well as emailing with Anzu. Most nights, there would be an email from her, though on some, she was too busy. Either way, this new world was very interesting for Yugi, who was always open to new experiences.

Even later than that, he would venture into UT and spend a few hours each night exchanging frags with Dog of War. With each map he played, the movements and techniques became easier for him and by the end of his first week playing, Yugi was beginning to beat Jou in their online contests.

 _Suiyobi, Wednesday, July 13, 2001  
Obon_

Yugi, Jou, Honda, Bakura, Otogi and Shizuka, who was visiting for the week, gathered for Obon, the festival inviting the dead to return and commune with the living. With dancing, fireworks and lanterns, the dead would be welcomed among the living for three nights.

The six teens made their way into Downtown Domino. The entire place was gayly bedecked with chochin strung overhead, firelight flickering behind the rice paper with kanji printed on it. Glowing on people's front porches were pine bows, burning with bright flame and sweet odor to welcome the dead into people's homes.

As they walked, Yugi clutched the bag he carried with him, containing the project he had been working on for months. He sighed and sadly looked at all the lights and displays, wishing that he could have shared this tradition with his Other even once before they had been parted.

They came to Domino Park, which had been turned into a carnival with booths, rides and games. Honda fished some change out of his pocket and went to a shooting gallery.

"Shizuka, I'm gonna win a prize for you. Which one do you want?" Honda offered.

"Oh, how kind of you, Honda-san," giggled Shizuka. "How about the pink teddy bear in the upper right corner?"

"Consider it yours," said Honda as he paid the carnie for the use of the rifle.

Honda raised the rifle, squinted and aimed. Just as he fired, he was bumped bodily from behind, causing the shot to miss by a mile.

"What the..." yelped Honda, whirling about to face whomever had bumped him.

The sharp green eyes and smug smirk of Otogi Ryuuji were what greeted him.

"Oops! Sorry about that!" Otogi mockingly apologized. "How about if I win the teddy bear for you, Shizu-chan?"

"Bastard!" snarled Honda, lunging at Otogi and having to be held back by Yugi and Bakura.

"Otogi-san, that was a dirty trick!" Shizuka reprimanded the game shop owner. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept anything from you if that's how you're going to be."

"You tell him, Shizu-chan!" laughed Honda from between Yugi and Bakura.

"Quit fanning the flames, Honda!" Yugi hissed at the pointy haired man.

"Honda-san, I see a stuffed white horse I'd love to have at the ring toss booth," said Shizuka, pointing toward another booth.

"Anything for you, my sweet," said Honda, extricating himself from Yugi and Bakura's grip.

"Watch yerself, Honda!" growled Jou, fists balling at his sides.

"Calm down, Jou. Honda just wants to win a prize for her. Surely, there's no ha..." Bakura began.

"Butt out, Bakura!" snapped Jou, stalking off to keep a sharp eye on Honda and Shizuka.

Poor Bakura recoiled as if someone had dashed boiling water on him.

"Don't worry about that, Bakura. Jou's really protective of Shizuka," Yugi explained.

"I guess so!" said the nonplussed Bakura.

After the sun set and the lanterns were lit, everyone gathered in the giant circle around the tall red and white striped music stand for the Tankobushi Bon Odori dance, which would welcome the spirits of departed loved ones back from the other side. The music began, slow, swaying and rhythmic. Everyone began to move their bodies and arms gracefully, clapping their hands in rhythm to the swaying music. Without realizing it, Yugi felt himself slipping into the groove, moving automatically along with everyone around him and, to his surprise, enjoying himself.

 _'Other Me, can you see me? Will you come here tonight?'_

As they danced, Honda and Otogi took turns dancing beside Shizuka, who graced each of them with a smile. This lasted until Jou saw what was happening, grabbed the two competing males by the hair and banged their pert heads together. Honda and Otogi sank to the ground for a nice little nap, the people in the group dancing around and over their twitching bodies.

 _Doyobi, Saturday, July 16, 2001_

The three day festival passed quickly in a whirlwind of carnival rides, fireworks, sparklers and food and before anyone knew it, the last night had arrived. Yugi and the others went to Domino Park to partake of the carnival one last time.

At the snack stand, everyone dug into their pockets for some cash. However, three days of splurging on snacks and rides had left everyone a bit tight in the pocket.

"I would have loved to have a hot dog," said Shizuka regretfully.

"Never fear, Shizu-chan. Honda's here. I'll get you a hot dog right now," said Honda, who had just enough for one hot dog.

"But you won't be able to get one for yourself," pointed out Shizuka.

"What need have I for food? Your smile is food for my heart," Honda declared romantically as he approached the stand. "You sit with Yugi and wait."

"OK," smiled Shizuka as she went over to where Yugi and Bakura were to talk with them and await her hot dog.

"Outta the way, pointy bangs! I'll get a hot dog and a Ramune!" declared Otogi, flashing his large wad of cash around. "Unlike you paupers, a shop owner always has some extra money on hand. Two hot dogs and two Ramune! Thank you!"

"Grrrrrrr!" Honda stood gnashing his teeth, fists clenched as Otogi graced Shizuka with a hot dog and bottle of Ramune. 'The night isn't over yet, you cat eyed bastard!'

After filling up on hot dogs and burgers, the teens blundered over to the carousel, which had horses, birds, dinosaurs, dragons and even cows to sit on. The line for the carousel wasn't terribly long, so they stood in wait for it, then spent a bit more of their dwindling cash on tickets. As soon as everyone was seated and clinging to their animal, the carousel started moving while the calliope blared its loud music. Up and down they bobbed as they went around.

Feeling a bit nauseous, Yugi closed his eyes.

 _'I don't think having that chili dog before getting on this was such a good idea,'_ he lamented to himself.

"Yugi, open your eyes and watch up ahead," came Bakura's voice next to him. "Things are about to get amusing."

"Huh?" asked Yugi as he opened his eyes.

What Bakura saw and Yugi quickly discerned was nothing other than Honda and Otogi abandoning their animals and moving clumsily toward the horse Shizuka was sitting on, clutching onto other animals and even people to keep from being thrown from the spinning carousel. There was an empty dragon next to Shizuka's horse and both Honda and Otogi had an eye on that prize.

Otogi coiled up his legs and jumped onto the dragon, flashing Shizuka a rakish grin as he did so.

"Evening, Shizu-chan. Nice night for a carousel ride, hm?" he said cordially.

"Otogi-san, you startled me!" yelped Shizuka.

"Forgive me, my sweet. I just couldn't stand seeing you sitting here all alone," Otogi spoke in a smooth tone.

"Oh, I don't mind being alone," said Shizuka with a smile. "But you're more than welcome to join me."

"Say, after the ride's over, how about you and me..." Otogi began. "Ah!"

This last yelp as he was grabbed from behind by his ponytail and yanked bodily off the dragon. Next thing Otogi knew, he had been shoved to the side and sent hurdling through time and space, sprawling onto the soft grass a good ten feet away from the carousel.

"Hi, Shizu-chan. Lovely night for a carousel ride, huh?" said Honda, who was now sitting in Otogi's place on the dragon.

"Oh, hi, Honda-san. Um, what happened to Otogi-san?" asked a confused Shizuka.

"He went to the can," said Honda indifferently. "Anyway, after the ride, how about we... AH!"

This as Honda was grabbed by the shoulders, yanked off the dragon and also sent hurdling through space and time, to land by Otogi in the soft grass ten feet away from the carousel.

"Katsuya?! Where did Honda-san go?" Shizuka asked of Jou, who was now sitting on the dragon.

"He's takin' a nap," was all Jou would volunteer.

With a shrug, Shizuka resumed just enjoying the ride.

Meanwhile, back on their mounts, Yugi and Bakura were fighting, and failing miserably, to stifle their laughter.

Legs still wobbly from the carousel, the teens went down to Domino Pier to watch the burning of the _shoryobune_. After the fires were kindled, the wooden boat containing people's written wishes caught fire instantly, sending the wishes blazing high into the night sky.

As he watched the burning boat, a sudden impulse seized Yugi, who broke away from the group.

"Hey, Yuge!" Jou called after him.

"Where's he off to?" wondered Bakura.

"I'll be back, guys. I have to get something!" Yugi called over his shoulder.

Yugi found a nearby stand and, with his last change, purchased a small slip of paper, called a tanzaku. On it, he hastily wrote his wish out, then opened up the bag containing the lantern he had worked on for weeks and carefully slipped the tanzaku into the lantern.

While the others stood back and watched, Yugi, with trembling hands, lit the candle inside the rice paper and set the small lantern into the water to be carried away by the ocean's tide, the last thing he could do for Atem. With a heavy heart, Yugi watched his lantern float slowly away, a small, beautiful point of light, carrying his one wish into the darkness.

He kept watching until it joined the many other floating lanterns and its light was lost in a sea of souls, all floating back to the afterlife. When the lantern could be seen no more, Yugi slogged out of the water and rejoined his friends to partake of a few more festivities before returning home.


	3. Bitter Cold Snow

Summer slowly passed into autumn, bringing with it crisp winds, high vaults of blue sky and polychromatic leaves falling from gnarled trees. Shorts and tank tops were exchanged for long pants, sweaters and jackets, and sandals for shoes.

Time passed by uneventfully for Yugi and friends as they settled into their adult lives. Honda went to engineering school. In addition to working at the museum, Bakura enrolled in Domino University to study archeology. And of course, Jou continued to wow and amaze his friends by working security at Kaiba Corp and Kaiba Land.

Emails came from Anzu, who reported that her study of dance abroad was going well. Evenings were spent gaming online against Jou, Honda, Bakura, Otogi and sometimes even Anzu, when the time difference allowed for it.

With the return of people to school and work, the game shop saw a reduction in business. This was not alarming, as things always went this way. It was why Grandpa was sure to put away as much money as he could from their summer explosion of customers.

Yugi noted with great trepidation that Sugoroku's occasional coughs were increasing in both frequency and volume.

"Grandpa, you've had this cough for months, won't you please go to the doctor?" Yugi asked as he and Sugoroku worked on setting up a Duel Monsters rack.

"No need *hack* to worry, Yugi. This is part of *cough* getting older," said Sugoroku dismissively.

"I guess," said Yugi unhappily as he continued to work while keeping a surreptitious eye on Grandpa.

 _Suiyobi, Wednesday, October 10, 2001_

Yugi was just closing up the game shop for the evening.

 **SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!**

 **HONK! HONK! HONK!**

 _'What the...'_ Yugi thought as he proceeded to the side door.

Parked out in front of the game shop was a very shiny, very new, decidedly red rag top, behind whose wheel sat none other than Jounouchi.

A startled Yugi unlocked the door and stepped outside, staring in unmitigated awe.

"Hiya, Yuge," grinned Jou, pleased at his friend's dropped jaw and wide eyes.

Yugi blinked a couple times before recovering his faculty of speech.

"OK, Jou, who'd you borrow or steal it from?" he asked with a partial smile.

Jou glowered at his friend.

"Dat hurts, Yuge. Dis is the da result a six months bustin' my ass fer Kaiba," Jou explained. "Wanna ride?"

"Uh, just let me finish closing up," was Yugi's response.

Not ten minutes later, Jou peeled rubber and they were off, Yugi quickly buckling his belt when he saw Jou's foot pressing down on that gas pedal.

When they got to the freeway, Jou really put the pedal to the metal, moving them down that road in a red blur. Yugi held onto the armrest with white knuckles. As the car's speed climbed, Jou shifted into higher gears and they shot forward even faster, seeming to be traveling through time, like Jou's old Time Wizard card.

Jou pressed the stereo's power button, causing a heavy metal cacophony to blare through the car's speakers. Yugi would have jumped out of the car had he not been buckled in. Jou began head banging and screaming along to the lyrics.

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, November 20, 2001_

November brought with it the sharp, cold air of late autumn. The trees were barren now, the earth hard and cold.

Curled up under his thick blanket, Yugi was torn from his dreams as his ears twitched at the loud, raspy sound that seemed to echo throughout the house. As he moved toward wakefulness, his mind supplied the name: coughing. Not the shallow throaty cough that Grandpa had been dealing with for months, but a deep, rattling, rasping cough, the kind that indicated sickness. Grandpa had been coughing occasionally for months now, but never had it sounded this bad.

 _'Grandpa?'_ he thought, worry making his stomach knot up on itself.

"Cough! Cough! Hack hack hack!" came the disturbing noise from Sugoroku's room down the hall.

 _'Why, why, didn't I make you go to the doctor before it got this bad?!'_ Yugi thought as his skin crawled at the rattling sound.

He jumped out of bed and wasted no time in shedding his PJs and donning his clothes. This done, he dashed downstairs toward the kitchen.

 _'Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll take care of you,'_ the teen thought as he grabbed a microwaveable breakfast out of the freezer.

Yugi shoved it into the microwave, punched in the time and waited for the two minutes that seemed like an eternity until the microwave dinged. Yugi took the breakfast out and put his own in.

Just in the nick of time too, as he heard the shuffling of slippered feet descending the staircase. Down came Grandpa, moving at the slow, halting gate that had crept upon him of late. Yugi's heart sank at the sight of Grandpa's face; normally twinkling violet eyes dull with exhaustion and features pale and wizened with illness.

"Good morning, *hack* Yugi. Ah, you made breakfast then? *cough*" Grandpa asked when he saw everything laid out on the table.

"Morning, Grandpa. Well, the microwave helped," Yugi said with a weak smile as he sat down.

"Thank you," said Sugoroku solemnly as he too sat down.

"Thanks for the food," Grandpa and grandson said in unison before picking up their chopsticks.

After breakfast, Grandpa stood up to go open the shop for the day, but Yugi, having just laid everything in the sink, quickly rushed over and stopped him.

"I'll run everything today, Grandpa. You go watch TV," the teen said firmly.

Sugoroku hesitated for a second, but yielded to the determination shining in Yugi's large eyes.

"Alright, my boy. I'll *cough* leave everything in your hands," he said, giving Yugi a brief pat on the shoulder.

Yugi spent the rest of the day running the game shop and emailing back and forth with Jou, Honda and Bakura by way of diversion.

 _Mokuyobi, Thursday, November 29, 2001_

"Cough! Cough! HACK HACK HACK!"

Yugi winced at the sound. Over the past ten days, Grandpa's coughs had grown louder and more rattly, his breathing much more labored, the very sound making Yugi's skin crawl and his blood run cold. As of yet, the stubborn senior had refused to visit the doctor.

"Grandpa, do you want me to call 119?" the teen asked anxiously.

A pale and drawn Sugoroku managed a tight smile for his grandson's benefit.

"I'm fine, my boy. Nothing a *cough* good night's rest won't cure," was his response.

"That's what you've said for the past two weeks," the young man pointed out.

"Why don't we play Duel Monsters?!" Sugoroku piped up suddenly. "We haven't done that in ages."

"Alright. Let me get my cards," responded Yugi, suddenly distracted from his worry by the prospect of playing his old favorite game with Grandpa.

Sugoroku watched Yugi's back disappear up the staircase, glad that he was still able to distract the young man from too many worries via the prospect of a game.

Yugi brought down his deck and met Grandpa at the kitchen table, where they faced off.

"I use Brain Control *cough* to take control of your Black Magician card," declared Grandpa, playing the card, which forced Yugi to hand the Black Magician card across the table. "Black Magician launches *cough* a direct attack on your life points, dropping you to zero! That doesn't set well, *hack* an old codger like me beating the world champion."

"You got lucky, Grandpa. I'll get you next round for sure," smiled Yugi as he prepared to cut and shuffle Grandpa's deck.

He was surprised when Sugoroku shook his head and pulled his deck from the table.

"Later, Yugi. I'm afraid *cough* it's all I can do to keep my eyes *hack* open," said Sugoroku as he rose from the table. "I'm gonna *hack* go lie down for a bit."

Yugi blinked. Grandpa had never postponed a rematch between them unless something important was afoot.

 _'Grandpa?'_ he thought as he watched Sugoroku shuffle out of the room.

He never even realized that Sugoroku still had the Black Magician in his deck.

 _That evening..._

As Yugi sat at his desk, surfing the Web on his computer and replying to Anzu's latest email on his phone, the sound of Grandpa's hoarse coughing assaulted his ears, muffled not one iota by the walls that separated them.

blackmage: **Grandpa's coughing's gotten a lot worse lately. It's starting to worry me.**

Yugi tapped Send, then set his phone down and turned his attention to his computer, where he pointed Netscape toward Industrial Illusions' site, which was promoting the newest Duel Monsters cards.

Half an hour later, the phone vibrated, distracting Yugi's attention from a game he was currently engrossed in.

dancingqueen: **Try giving your Grandpa some hot ginger tea and chicken soup. Should soothe his throat.**

Yugi's eyes brightened. Of course! Why hadn't he thought if that?

blackmage: **Great idea. Thanks, Anzu!**

Yugi jumped up from his chair, raced down the staircase and headed to the kitchen to heat up tea and soup for his grandpa.

The tea and soup were easily heated and soon ready for consumption. Yugi put them carefully on a tray and turned to go to Grandpa's room.

Just as Yugi was about to reach the staircase, he saw Grandpa come stumbling down, clutching at his chest. Violet eyes met violet eyes and Yugi felt his heart freeze in his chest.

"Can't... breathe..." was all Grandpa managed to get out.

Tears of panic welling in his eyes, Yugi let the tray he was carrying drop to the floor with a crash, sending glass, porcelain and liquids spraying all over the place. Heedless of the mess, the teen made a mad dash to catch Grandpa from passing out on the slippery floor. Bearing the heavier man's weight as best he could, Yugi guided Sugoroku over to the table and helped him to sit. This done, he leapt over the mess to the kitchen phone and dialed 119.

"What is your emergency?" the operator's voice droned over the phone.

"Please send an ambulance to the Kame Game Shop! My grandpa's having trouble breathing!" Yugi replied, voice made higher than usual due to hysterics.

"An ambulance has been dispatched. Please remain on the line," the operator droned again.

While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Yugi pulled out his cell phone and emailed Jou and Honda about his grandpa, desperately needing someone to talk to.

 _Bzzzz!_

W4rDoG: **hang on pal cmn ovr**

blackmage: **Thanks.**

 _Buzzz._

ninja_zx6r: **Be right there.**

"Hang on, Grandpa! Help's on the way," Yugi said, trying to sound strong and reassuring.

As he watched his sole relative and caretaker gasp for oxygen, sweat pouring down rapidly bluing skin, Yugi felt anything but.

"Yu... gi... I... *gasp* *choke*" Sugoroku's eyes rolled back in their sockets and he slumped forward against the table.

"Grandpa!" Yugi screamed, tears coursing freely down his cheeks as he shook Sugoroku's shoulder, trying desperately to revive him.

The minutes dragged by interminably.

"I have to go! I have to be with him!" Yugi screamed hysterically as he was held back by Jou and Honda as the unconscious Sugoroku was loaded into the ambulance, as family members weren't permitted onboard the vehicle.

"Yugi, you have to let the hospital work on your grandpa! There's nothing you can do for him and you'd only be in the way if you went!" Honda tried to reason.

"C'mon wit' us, Yug. We can run all da way dere," offered Jou.

"Or we could take your car like normal people, blockhead," said Honda, pointing to the red convertible.

"Oh, yeah. I keep fergettin' I got dat," grinned Jou.

"Let's just go!" fumed Honda, grabbing Jou by the collar of his coat and dragging him bodily over to the car, Yugi trailing miserably behind them.

While Jou and Honda fumbled around with the keys, Yugi moved like an automaton, climbing into the backseat and buckling up.

Jou started the car and they were off. All through the ride to the hospital, Yugi was stone silent, staring out the window without actually seeing anything. All he could think of was his grandfather, gasping desperately for air before collapsing.

 _'Why didn't I do whatever I could to get him to the doctor, even if I had to drag him in?!'_ he thought wretchedly as they sped along behind the wailing ambulance.

 _Domino General Hospital_

The hospital doors slid open as the three young men stepped in. Poor Yugi was trembling so badly that it was Honda who stepped up to the desk.

"Where is Mutou Sugoroku? His grandson is here to see him," Honda asked shortly.

After receiving directions, the young men headed to the elevator and took it up three floors. As the elevator climbed, Yugi's heart sank. After wending their way through the corridors, they found Sugoroku's room.

"We'll be right outside," reassured Honda.

"It'll be OK, man," said Jou.

With a mute nod, Yugi squared his shoulders and walked into the dimly lit room.

Mutou Sugoroku lay on the hospital bed, oxygen mask strapped over his mouth and nose, helping him to breathe more easily. An IV drip delivered saline solution into his blood and a heart monitor beeped in time with his heartbeat, sounding very slow to Yugi's ears.

Sugoroku's eyes, hazed over from the lingering sedative, cracked open at the sound of footsteps on the linoleum floor and he managed a weak smile when he saw his grandson, whose eyes sparkled with worry and new, unshed tears.

"Grand... pa?" Yugi said in a small voice.

"I'm... alright, Yugi," Sugoroku responded.

With a sob, Yugi leapt forward and threw his arms around his grandpa's body, burying his face in Grandpa's gown and sobbing uncontrollably. For the moment, he forgot that he was a strong 18-year-old young man and allowed himself to be 15 again.

Sugoroku returned the hug with his free right arm, gently patting the young man's back, hoping to soothe him.

Yugi's muffled sobs carried through the doorway and hit Honda and Jou's ears. The two young men exchanged a grim look. With nothing else to say or do, they took a seat on a nearby couch to wait for their friend.

After a few minutes, Yugi was able to compose himself and sat up a bit, regarding Grandpa through puffy, bloodshot eyes. The teenager took Grandpa's hand between his own and squeezed. Grandpa's hand was so cold, as if all the life had been drained from it!

"Grandpa, I'm so sorry," Yugi sobbed. "I should've tried harder to get you to go the doctor."

"No, Yugi," said Sugoroku. "This is... on me. Guess it was just... my stubborn pride... that got me in here. Don't you... worry about it."

"How can I not worry? You're all the family I've got," Yugi said even as he tried to rein in his sobs.

"Yugi, the only... thing I want you... to worry about... is doing your work well... and enjoying yourself," said Sugoroku.

"Grandpa, I..."

"Promise me, Yugi... that you'll run the shop... in my place tomorrow and play Duel... Monsters with your friends," said Sugoroku, squeezing Yugi's hand.

"OK, Grandpa... I promise," sniffled Yugi, returning the squeeze.

"Good. Now... how about... letting an old man... get some rest?" asked Sugoroku, eyelids beginning to fall shut.

"See you tomorrow, Grandpa," said Yugi softly.

Yugi emerged from the room and looked up at Jou and Honda with blank, bloodshot eyes, utterly spent from crying. At the dull gaze from their normally upbeat friend, Honda and Jou had to suppress the shiver that went down their spines. The two young men rose, stood on either side of Yugi and walked the heartbroken teen from the hospital and back to the car for the silent ride home.

 _Kame Game Shop_

Yugi locked the door behind him and stepped out of his boots before stepping up into the kitchen. Right away, his eyes fell on the shattered glass and porcelain, not to mention the now dried up tea and congealed broth.

 _'Better clean that up. Grandpa won't be happy to see it,'_ the young man thought to himself as he retrieved the broom and dustpan.

Yugi swept all the shards of glass and porcelain he could into the dustpan. It was an onerous chore, as there always seemed to be more hiding nearby. Finally though, Yugi saw no more shards.

After dumping the shards into the garbage, Yugi retrieved the bucket, filled it with hot water and bleach, and set to work, mopping up the dried-up liquids. By the time he was done with this chore, Yugi felt tired, discouraged and sore all over.

After putting everything away, Yugi retreated upstairs, retrieved his pajamas, then went to the shower room for a shower and long, hot bath.

Yugi sat in the bathtub, grateful for the very hot water that helped to chase away the aches and pains of the day, both physical and emotional. After ducking his head under the water and coming back up for breath, Yugi lay back and enjoyed the warm, humid scent of the bath water.

Later, in the solitude of his room, Yugi sat at his desk, listening to the empty silence that now permeated the house and shop, instead of just his own mental spheres. Normally, at this time, he would have heard Grandpa's voice downstairs, humming absently to himself. Now, the nothingness reached his eardrums and mocked his worry.

Desperate for a distraction, Yugi loaded UT. Dog of War was online as he was every evening. However, this evening, Yugi was too upset and distracted to mount any kind of attack and was fragged again and again until, near tears, he said a quick goodbye and exited the game.

Over the next two weeks, Yugi managed the game shop alone, running on autopilot with practiced ease. Just smile blankly at the customers, help them find what they wanted, ring them up, wash, rinse, repeat.

In the evenings, Jou and Honda would pull up to take Yugi to the hospital. On the few evenings without classes or work at the museum, Bakura was able to make his way over with them.

Yugi pushed the shopping cart before him. Even if Grandpa was in the hospital and he was in a constant state of worry, the fridge still needed to be stocked. Normally, Grandpa did the shopping and brought home all kinds of good food that he could make into any number of tasty dishes.

Yugi, on the other hand, might as well be trying to read cuneiform when he looked at a recipe book. A crackerjack gamer he might be, but the culinary arts left him flummoxed, to say the least.

So, instead of all the different foods Grandpa usually bought, Yugi went straight for the chips, crackers, cookies, candy and pop, all the good stuff that needed no preparation at all. Just rip open the bag and eat. That was more Yugi's speed.

When he got home, Yugi put the two bags of junk food on the counter, grabbed a bag of Smoked Bacon Doritos and a bottle of Mountain Dew. In the living room, he tossed a DVD into the player and spent the evening mindlessly watching a movie while crunching Doritos and guzzling pop.

 _Getsuyobi, Monday, December 10, 2001  
Domino General Hospital_

Yugi entered the room and saw Sugoroku's dazed eyes on him. The old man managed a wan smile, which Yugi was barely able to return as he approached the bed. He took Grandpa's hand in his own and shivered at how cold and clammy it felt.

"Yugi, I'm... so... sorry," Sugoroku struggled to breathe as he spoke from behind the oxygen mask.

"Don't try to talk, Grandpa," Yugi reprimanded gently, desperately trying to quell the storm of emotion threatening once again, to inundate him.

"You're so young..." Sugoroku plowed on, looking at his grandson's tear-stained face sadly. "But you've done such a good job running the game shop, I know you'll be able to carry on..."

"Don't say that!" cried Yugi, locking gazes with Grandpa. "You still owe me that rematch. The doctors will get you well and you'll be home in time for our annual Christmas Eve movie marathon."

Sugoroku smiled weakly.

"Yes, Yugi. I'll be going home very soon," he said, giving his grandson's warm hand a squeeze.

Yugi emerged from Sugoroku's room after the old man had fallen asleep, labored breathing eased only slightly by the oxygen mask. Large violet eyes were red rimmed, indicating that he had been crying. Yugi's whole demeanor was so fragile that he looked like a breath of wind might shatter him.

Bakura's heart smote him at the sight of Yugi in such a state. Well could he remember the anguish he had felt when he had watched his mother and little sister slip away days after a horrific car wreck. He had never been the same since. The silver haired teen rose from the bench and approached Yugi.

"Jou and Honda went to the cafeteria. They'll be back soon," he explained softly.

Yugi merely nodded.

"How is he?" Bakura asked.

"Pretty... bad. He has to stop... talking to breathe... so much now," Yugi's voice wavered, his whole being suddenly shaking.

Bakura took Yugi by the hand and gently led him into the meditation room, a softly lit room with pretty pictures on the walls, a solace for the relatives of the worst off patients.

He wasn't surprised when he saw Yugi's shoulders begin to shake and hear the hitching breath from the smaller man. The silver haired teen wrapped his arms around Yugi's shoulders and held him close until the storm passed.

After a few minutes, Yugi was able to get control of himself and pulled back, revealing a flushed, tearstained face.

"S-sorry," he said awkwardly.

Bakura shook his head.

"It's only natural."

Yugi nodded.

"We're back! Yugi, Bakura, where are ya?" called Jou's voice from the hall.

"We brought snacks," came Honda's voice.

"Let's go to them before they tear up the hospital looking for us," joked Bakura. "And try to eat something too."

"OK," sniffled Yugi as he and Bakura exited the room together.

 _Later in the evening..._

Yugi sat on the couch, looking at the TV screen without watching as he absently crunched Sausage Doritos and guzzled Mountain Dew. His visit with Grandpa at the hospital had been much the same as it had for the past week and a half. Grandpa's hands were icy cold, his breathing didn't seem to be improving at all and he had fallen asleep after only half an hour.

 _'Please get better, Grandpa,'_ Yugi thought as he shifted uncomfortably. _'The game shop needs you.'_

His train of thought was derailed by a knock at the side door, causing him to look up warily.

 _'Who could it be this late?'_ he thought as he hesitantly stood up and went for the door.

Outside the window, Yugi spotted a middle aged man with intelligent brown eyes and a full brown beard, carrying a bag with him. Yugi blinked. He thought he recognized the man's face, but couldn't put down where. Since the man seemed quasi-familiar, Yugi unlocked and opened the door for him.

"Sorry to intrude so late, Yugi. But I've brought a package for you, which I thought couldn't wait another minute," said the man, holding up the package in his hands.

"Sorry. Do I know you?" Yugi asked, a bit put off by the man's use of his personal name.

"Ha ha! Of course! How rude of me! I can't expect you to remember me. It's been a few years. I'm your grandpa's friend, Professor Yoshimori. We met at the Domino City Museum, when you lent us your Puzzle to display for the day," explained Yoshimori-sensei.

Yugi's mind turned back to that day: looking at several ancient artifacts, waiting anxiously outside the museum until it closed, then his crazy first meeting with Shadi in the museum when he went to get the Puzzle.

"Oh, yeah... I remember you now. Uh, how have you been?" Yugi inquired politely as he stood aside to admit the professor in from the cold.

"I've been alright. How are you and your grandpa? I haven't been able to keep in touch," asked Yoshimori, looking around the room.

Yugi's eyes dimmed with sadness and his countenance fell. Yoshimori noticed the change in the younger man.

"Did something happen?" he inquired softly.

"Grandpa's in the hospital with pneumonia," Yugi explained in a tight voice, barely able to keep from breaking into sobs.

Yoshimori stopped and closed his eyes, digesting the news. He opened them again and tried to smile for Yugi's benefit.

"I'm sure he'll be alright. Sugoroku is very tough," he said softly.

Yugi nodded.

At this, Yoshimori remembered the small package in his arms, which he held out for Yugi.

"Here," he said.

Eyes widening with curiosity, Yugi took the package. As he looked down at it, he finally remembered the letter writing back and forth between himself, the professor, and Isis.

"This is..." he said breathlessly as he began tearing at the box.

Yugi pulled a newly published university history book out of the box, smelling so fresh that it had likely arrived straight from the publisher.

"Open it to page 200," said Yoshimori with a twinkle in his eye.

Yugi opened the book to that page and saw in black and white on the pages: Pharaoh Atem in place of the Nameless Pharaoh. His eyes filled with tears, which he rapidly blinked back.

"Professor, thank you so much!" he cried in a choked voice.

"No thanks are needed. This all came about because of your and Isis' devotion to the ancient pharaoh that history had long overlooked. Now his name is enshrined alongside the names Tutankhamun, Ramses and Amenhotep," said Yoshimori. "Show it to your Grandpa in the hospital. He'll get a kick out of it."

"I will!" said Yugi brightly. "Wouldja like some tea or anything?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I have to get to the university early tomorrow," declined the professor, bowing politely.

"Well, alright. Thanks for this!" said Yugi, caressing the book.

"Take care now," said Yoshimori, beating his retreat from the game shop.

Yugi read and re-read the book, gazing in wonder at Atem's name in black and white

 _'I did it, Grandpa. I got my Other Self's name in the history books, where it belongs!'_ he thought joyfully.

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, December 11, 2002_

Yugi rose to a gray sky that morning, fat snowflakes falling gently and silently to the ground, covering everything in a cold, soft white blanket. His eyes shifted over to the history book reposing on his desk and brightened just a fraction.

 _'Grandpa will be thrilled when I show him my Other Self's name in this book. It's what we've both wanted. I'm sure he'll get better after he sees this,'_ Yugi thought hopefully as he softly caressed the book's cover with his fingertips.

Book under his arm, Yugi made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a bag of Steak Doritos, he pulled it open and fished out a chip. The bottle of Mountain Dew was opened and Yugi took a swig, grateful for the feeling of the caffeine surging through his body.

Breakfast finished, Yugi was about to proceed to the door to unlock the shop for the day, when the phone rang. Jumping a bit at the sharp sound, he eyed the phone as warily as if it were a pit viper, coiled up to strike him. A call to the house phone this early in the day was seldom a happy portent.

"Hello?" he spoke in a tremulous voice as he picked up the phone.

"Am I speaking with Mutou Yugi?" came a voice that Yugi did not recognize.

"That's me," Yugi replied, swallowing around the lump that was suddenly bulging in his esophagus.

"This is Domino General Hospital. We regret to inform you that your grandfather took a turn for the worst last night. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and he has just passed away. We are sorry for your loss..."

 **THUD!**

This as Yugi dropped the handset carelessly just before his legs gave out under him and he sank to the floor. Grandpa was dead! How could this be? He was supposed to get well and come home again! He had promised! Grandpa was dead, dead, dead!

Yugi's body curled up in a ball as he raked his fingers through his spiky hair. A keening sound bubbled up from the back of his throat, growing, growing, until it exploded.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yugi screamed into the floor, open palms slapping the tile over and over again, body shaking as hot tears poured down his cheeks.

 _'Grandpa! Grandpa, no, no, no!'_

How long Yugi stayed thus, with only the hum of the dial tone in the background, he wasn't sure. Finally though, his brain did kick back into something of a working order. He had to get to the hospital, had to... Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Yugi flipped it open and emailed Jou.

blackmage: **Please can you give me a ride to the hospital? They said my grandpa just died...**

Yugi flipped the phone shut and pulled himself to his feet, wiping the back of his hand across his face as he did so. After replacing the house phone in its cradle, Yugi made his way over to the coat rack to retrieve his coat. Just as he was stepping down into his boots, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Yugi opened the phone up to reveal the message.

W4rDoG: **hng on yugi b thr n a hot minut**

Yugi managed the tiniest of smiles as he tapped out a reply:

blackmage: **Thank you.**

Yugi was quiet all during the ride up to the hospital, absently watching the scenery wizz by. All too soon, he saw the familiar and dreaded sign: Domino General Hospital.

After parking the car, the four young men made their way through the snowflakes which flew in a thick torrent in the biting December air, grateful when the warm air of the hospital hit them after the doors closed behind them.

Together, the four friends made their way upstairs to Grandpa's room, their hearts knotting with dread.

"We'll be right here," Bakura said softly to Yugi.

With a nod, Yugi looked to Honda, who offered a small smile and nod in response, then to Jou, who gave his shoulder a quick pat of encouragement.

Steeling his heart for what was to come, Yugi squared his shoulders and, looking straight ahead, opened the door and walked in.

The room was dim, lit only by the gray light from the cloudy sky outside. The smell was the same one of antiseptic, illness and now... death.

Yugi forced himself to approach the bed and look at what had once been his grandfather, Mutou Sugoroku. Yugi's gaze raked over pale, wizened features, jaw unhinged widely in the eternal sleep. His chest, which for two weeks had risen and fallen as he gasped for oxygen, was now still.

Hesitantly, Yugi touched his grandfather's hand, only to snap his own hand back. Repugnant coldness, like a block of ice! As he stared into Grandpa's still face, Yugi beheld the seal of the Great Presence. Tears cascading from his eyes, Yugi lowered his head and sobbed brokenly. What would he do now?

With these grim thoughts swirling in his mind, the teenager defiantly wiped the tears from his cheeks, turned and blundered away from the sickening sight. He was alone in the world now, utterly alone.

An hour later, Yugi exited the dark room into the brighter hallway. There were Jou, Honda and Bakura, standing, talking quietly amongst themselves, no doubt about him. Upon seeing Yugi, they stopped talking and fell in silently, surrounding the downcast figure who walked between them in a protective circle, and marched grimly from the hospital.

 _Kame Game Shop_

Yugi turned the key, unlocking the side door and admitting himself and the others into the genkan, where they all stepped out of their snow-caked footwear and up into the house proper. The four silently hung up their coats and other winter gear.

"I'll get a space heater..." said Yugi absently.

"Here now, what's this?" asked Bakura, noting the history book on the table.

"What's what?" said Yugi absently, until his eyes fell on the book, which rekindled his memory. "Oh, just look on page 200..."

Bakura flipped the book to that page, brown eyes widening at the sight of the Pharaoh's name in print.

"Jou, Honda, come and look!" Bakura said happily.

Jou and Honda craned their necks on either side of Bakura and read the Pharaoh's name.

"Son of a bitch!" said Jou happily.

"Wow! That's cool," said Honda.

"Yugi's way of honoring the Pharaoh," mused Bakura.

Just then, Yugi came back with the space heater, which he turned on to warm up the kitchen.

"I'll make us some coffee," volunteered Honda, drawing dubious looks from the other three. "Don't worry. I know how to make a good brew. I was always making it for my sister until she moved out."

Coffee mugs warming their hands, the four young men poured over the pages of the book, marveling at seeing their departed friend's name acknowledged in history.

By an unspoken agreement among themselves, Honda took the couch, Bakura stayed in the guestroom and Jou stretched out in a futon on the floor of Yugi's room for that first awful night's vigil in the game shop.

In the living room, Honda attempted to distract himself by watching TV with the volume low. He flipped through the channels several times before concluding that there was nothing of any value on, shutting the TV off and casting the remote aside in annoyance.

In the guestroom, Bakura lay on his side, hearing Yugi's muffled sobs across the hallway. His heart ached as his mind turned back to his own loss.

 _'Yugi, I know you feel all alone right now, but remember you have all of us with you,'_ the doe-eyed teen thought as he closed his eyes to try to sleep.

In the silent darkness of Yugi's room, Jou heard the muffled sobs of the young man lying in his bed, trying desperately to swallow his tears.

Blinking rapidly, Jou dismissed the noisome moisture that invaded his own eyes as he listened to his friend's heartbreak.

 _'Poor guy. He dun deserve dis,'_ Jou thought sadly as he closed his eyes and attempted to sleep.


	4. The Presence

_Mokuyobi, Thursday, December 13, 2001_

As Sugoroku's only living relative, the burden of chief mourner fell on Yugi's shoulders. Heart beating numbly in his chest, Yugi knelt at the head of Grandpa's coffin and mentally prepared himself to accept all the well-meaning condolences and gifts that were sure to be offered by those who were just now starting to trickle into the funeral hall.

So they came, friends both known and unknown to Yugi, an endless stream of faces and soft voices, all offering platitudes that would do nothing to take the sting out of his heart. Yugi received them all with the same blank face and droned response.

Soon, Jou, Honda, Bakura and Otogi came by. Each young man passed by Yugi, giving him a discreet pat on the shoulder as they did so.

Professor Yoshimori also came by and shared a sorrowful glance with Yugi before moving on. If only the new book had come out a few days sooner...

The rest of the day's events were a blur. Soon, Yugi found himself in Jou's car as everyone made their way for the last part of the funeral services, the part that made Yugi's blood run cold just thinking about it...

The bone picking was the worst: Jou, Honda and Bakura all picked and passed the burnt fragments of Grandpa's bones from one set of chopsticks to the next, to the urn, held in a pair of long chopsticks by a pale-faced Yugi. From toe bones to Adam's apple, this was repeated over and over again.

When the urn was filled, it was sealed with an ofuda, on which was written the kanji for Sugoroku's death name. The urn was then taken to be interred in a small grave.

With no further business there, Yugi and his friends turned and silently walked away and piled into Jou's car. All through the ride home, Yugi stared absently out the window, unable to bring himself to respond to Honda's well-meant attempts to talk to him.

When they arrived home, Yugi went to clean up the shop for the night, but was stopped by Jou, who firmly gripped his shoulder.

"Yugi, you just go on up, take a bath and go to bed. We got ever'thin' down here," he said.

"A-are you sure?" Yugi asked in a small voice.

"If I ain't sure a somethin', I dun say it," was Jou's firm response. "Git outta here!"

"Thanks, guys," Yugi managed in a very small, very sad voice before disappearing upstairs for the night.

 _Kinyobi, Friday, December 14, 2001_

Surrounded by evening silence, Yugi sat at his desk, thumbing through his old Duel Monsters deck. As he went through the cards, he vaguely realized that his Black Magician was missing.

 _'Oh, it must still be in Grandpa's deck,'_ he thought absently.

The problem was, since the theft of his beloved Blue Eyes, Grandpa had always kept his dueling deck hidden away and had told no one, not even Yugi, where he kept it. In order to regain his Black Magician, Yugi would have to clean and clear out Grandpa's room to find the deck, something that would have to be done eventually anyway. But right now, he just didn't have the heart to do so.

With a broken sigh, Yugi laid his deck back into the golden box, replaced the lid and put it up on the windowsill before collapsing into bed.

 _Doyobi, Saturday, December 15, 2001_

Moving like an automaton, Yugi carried the wooden butsudan to Grandpa's room, in which all sorts of old games, books and other curiosities Sugoroku had collected during his years as a wandering archeologist reposed. Finding an empty space, he set the small shrine up and put in the memorial tablet with Grandpa's name in kanji on it and a black framed picture of Grandpa. After setting in the singing bowl, Yugi tapped it, making the sweet ringing sound and knelt down in silent prayer.

 _'Grandpa, I don't know what to say. I miss you so much. Your being gone doesn't even feel real. It seems like you should just open the door and come in and yell at me for messing up your room like you did when I was a kid,'_ Yugi thought. _'I'll run the game shop for you, so don't even worry about that. Just move on to the afterlife knowing that everything will be alright here.'_

Broken and exhausted, Yugi curled up on Grandpa's bed, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of musty antiquities. The teen breathed out and let his body go limp. While he knew in his mind that Grandpa was gone, in this room, he could surround himself with Grandpa and allow his heart to forget the awful truth, if even just for a while.

 _Yugi was curled up fast asleep in his bed, when the delicious aroma hit him: one of Grandpa's international recipes! Yugi's eyes flew open and he raised his head, sniffing the air. There it was again! This meant only one thing:_

 _'Grandpa!' Yugi thought joyfully as he tore out of bed._

 _Moving too quickly for his body to keep up, Yugi hit the floor as he jumped from the bed, but merely rolled to his feet, jumped to the door, opened it and went tearing down the steps._

 _There in the kitchen with the stove going, clad in his green overalls and yellow hat, violet eyes twinkling merrily, was Sugoroku, just putting the finishing touches on some sausages._

 _"Grandpa!" Yugi cried happily as he launched himself at Sugoroku, mindless of the hot stove._

 _Then warm, safe arms were around his shoulders as grandfather and grandson embraced each other warmly, both holding on as if afraid to let go._

 _"It was all a dream! You're alive!" Yugi cried happily as he snuggled against his grandfather's warm body._

 _"No, Yugi. This is the dream," Sugoroku corrected gently. "When you open your eyes, you won't be able to see me anymore."_

 _Yugi felt his heart sink at these words. For now though, he could see, hear and touch his grandfather, so would make the most of it._

 _"I miss you so much," Yugi murmured brokenly, burying his face in his grandpa's overalls._

 _"Everything'll be alright," said Sugoroku as he stroked Yugi's wild hair. "You'll see."_

 _"Why'd you have to go?" Yugi sighed._

 _"That's the way of things, my boy," Sugoroku's voice explained gently. "Change is part of life. If you can face it with an open heart, you'll find yourself on a new path. It may not be exactly what you knew before, but it can be just as wonderful in its own way."_

 _"But I feel so alone," murmured Yugi._

 _"As long as you remember me, I'll live in your heart, Yugi," said Sugoroku as he laid his hand on his only grandchild's heart. "I'm here."_

 _As Yugi clung desperately to his grandfather, the old man's last words echoed warmly in his head. Even after the dream went black, Yugi still heard them, clear as day._

 _"I'm here..."_

Yugi continued to burrow into Grandpa's bed, cheek pressed against its warm, soft surface, as tears streamed down his face from closed eyes.

 _"I'm here..."_

As the voice echoed, it seemed to shift imperceptibly from his grandfather's gravelly voice to a deeper, richer tone as it faded away to silence.

 _"I'm here..."_

Tucked under the blankets, surrounded by the scent and feeling of memories of Grandpa, Yugi's entire body was engulfed in warmth, irrespective of the coldness of the unheated room. Even as the tears continued to stream from his eyes, Yugi's lips lifted in a smile as he was comforted from beyond.

 _Getsuyobi, Monday, December 24, 2001  
Christmas Eve_

Before anyone realized it, two weeks had passed and Christmas Eve had descended upon Japan in a whirl of festive lights and seasonal songs being played in many of the shops.

At one shop, there was absolutely no seasonal cheer. Instead of looking forward to a night of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and old American Christmas movies with his grandfather, a dejected figure with large, sad eyes sat mutely behind the counter in the game shop, doing business with all who entered to buy something, in a polite, but detached manner.

Yugi was grateful for the distraction from the heartbreaking grief that working the shop gave him and it was with regret that he turned the sign around in the glass door. Tonight, he would simply take a shower and go straight to bed.

At least that was to have been the plan. The familiar loud squeal of tires set that plan to pause. Yugi quickly opened up the side door to welcome his old friend in from the biting cold outside.

"Merry Christmas, Yuge!" Jou greeted casually.

"Merry Christmas, Jou," Yugi returned in a small voice.

Jou whipped out the familiar red and white striped bucket from behind his back.

"Fresh from da Colonel!" he announced jubilantly.

Blinking back tears of gratitude, Yugi led Jou into the house. Grandpa might no longer be in the world, but at least their old tradition would survive another year.

Yugi and Jou spent the evening together, feasting on roasted chicken, crunching on salad, and gulping down mashed potatoes while they watched the old movies. After dinner came the sweet, moist chocolate Christmas cake.

As they watched, Jou kept a surreptitious eye on Yugi, still worried about his friend. However, for the time being, Yugi seemed content, eyes lighting up whenever something funny happened on TV or when Jou cracked one of his raunchy jokes.

 _'Yer gonna be OK, buddy. Things'r gonna git bettah,'_ Jou thought hopefully as they continued to watch TV far into the night.

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, December 30, 2001_

At the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket, Yugi opened it up and checked the message.

W4rDoG: **wr all gn 2 c lotr b thr n 15 min b rdy**

Yugi snorted. Just the thought of going out into the wider world, which moved on with its day to day life, knowing and caring nothing for his grandfather, made him feel heartsick. If Jou had phrased the invitation as a question, Yugi would have undoubtedly emailed a polite declination back.

 _'But then you knew that, didn't you, Jou?'_ Yugi thought ruefully.

Well, there was no getting out of it now, since Jou was already on his way. With a sigh, Yugi went up to his room to get ready. As he changed clothes, Yugi considered things. Maybe Jou and the others were right. Maybe he was being too reclusive. Logically, he knew he would have to rejoin the world some time. And _The Fellowship of the Ring_ **did** look great in the TV ads he had seen.

 _'On second thought, taking in a movie with my friends will do me good,'_ Yugi thought determinedly as he checked himself in the mirror.

All too soon, Yugi heard the familiar screech of tires and "honk honk" of Jou's car. Pausing only to lock the side door, Yugi jumped into the open passenger door of the waiting car. At the wheel was Jou and in the back were Honda, Otogi and Bakura, all smiling, clearly anticipating the movie spectacle to come.

"Hi, guys," Yugi greeted softly.

"Hey, Yuge. Let's go see some Hobbits!" cheered Jou as he threw the car into gear and peeled on out.

After they arrived at the theater, the five teens filed out of the car and quickly made their way through the brisk evening air, breath coming out in vapor streams as they moved. As soon as they were inside, the warm scent of popcorn, hotdogs and other stomach rotting treats struck all their noses and made their mouths water. After purchasing their tickets, the young men went and raided the snack counter. Even Yugi couldn't resist getting a large tub of popcorn with extra butter and a Coke.

Soon, they were all inside the theater and the lights went down. First they had to sit through the previews and ads, at which Jou and Honda booed and hissed and threw some of their popcorn. Finally, the movie itself started, and, to his surprise, Yugi found himself enthralled as soon as Galadriel's unique voice began narrating the backstory.

Throughout the first half of the film, Yugi enjoyed himself thoroughly, enchanted by the epic scenery and beautiful music, wowed by the sword fights and special effects, even laughing at Pippin and Merry's string of mishaps.

The entire audience, even Jou and Honda, who usually hooted, hollered and made asses of themselves in the theater, were spellbound and quiet.

Things were going well until about halfway through the movie, when Gandalf fought the Balrog and ended up plunging into the abyss with it. As Frodo screamed his name on the big screen while being carried out and the sad music began to play, Yugi's entire body started to tremble, tears welling in his eyes.

When the closeups of the hobbits crying showed on the screen, something broke inside Yugi. Suddenly, he was out of his seat, tearing up the aisle, mindless of his friends' voices calling after him, and out of the theater. Into the chilly night air Yugi ran, heading for home.

"I can't even see him. Who knew he could run so fast?!" exclaimed Otogi as he peered in vain out the lobby window.

Jou was reaching into his pocket to grab his car keys, when he felt a light grip on his shoulder and turned to look into the limpid brown eyes of Bakura.

"Let's let him be tonight. I think this was too much, too soon," the doe-eyed teen said softly.

"Are you crazy?! We gotta go afta him!" cried Jou.

Bakura shook his head.

"Yugi knows the way home. He needs time and space to clear his head," the silver hair explained. "Just send him an email and ask him to write back should he need anything."

"Let's listen to Bakura, Jou. He knows more about this kinda shit than we do," advised Honda.

"Fine! We'll do things yer way, fer now!" glowered Jou, whipping out his phone to email Yugi.

With nothing else to do, the four remaining young men marched grimly back into the theater and watched the rest of the movie, all the enjoyment gone from the experience.

Yugi made it back to the game shop in one piece, stopping only to lock the door behind him, before stepping out of his boots and tearing into the house, up the stairs and into his room, where he collapsed at his desk and began to cry stormily, face buried in his arms.

 _'Grandpa! Please come back! I need you!'_ he thought.

Only much later, after the tears and pent up emotions had spent themselves, did Yugi think of what he had actually done. Sniffling quietly, he reached into his pocket for his phone.

 _'My friends must be so mad at me,'_ he thought dismally as he opened the phone, prepared for the flood of angry messages he was sure to receive.

W4rDoG: **hey yuge wer all rl sry u had a shitty tym 2nyt we dint no nething lyk tht ws gnna hpn 2 gandalf hope u made it baq home ok eml me wn u gt ths**

Finding a small smile, Yugi tapped out his reply.

blackmage: **It's OK, Jou. I know you guys would never hurt me on purpose. I'm sorry for running out like that. Maybe, after little while, I'll be able to watch the movie again. It was good, up till that point.**

W4rDoG: **u jst lemme no wen ur ready**

blackmage: **I will. Thanks.**

Yugi couldn't help but smile, just a bit, as he shut his phone and stood up to get ready for his bath. He wouldn't eat, as he had no appetite, but he felt just a tiny bit better than earlier. At the very least, he knew his friends would be there for him until he got through this.

 _'And I will... eventually,'_ he thought as he grabbed his PJs and headed for the shower room.

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, January 20, 2002_

Yugi sat in front of the TV, watching an anime while eating his "dinner" of Shrimp Doritos and Mountain Dew. When the show ended, Yugi shut off the TV, closed up the chip bag and took the empty pop bottle to recycle in the kitchen.

When Yugi came into the kitchen, he stopped dead in his tracks. Reposing on the counter was Grandpa's book of international recipes, open to a page showing a recipe for Coq Au Vin, a beef and vegetable dish that he and Grandpa had really liked.

 _'Hm. I wonder what this is doing out,'_ Yugi thought as he closed the book and put it back in its place in the cupboard.

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, February 12, 2002_

Yugi was playing against Jou in UT. As usual, they were neck in neck, with Yugi leading by just two points. As Yugi moved about the map, shooting and picking up ammo and equipment, a chill ran down his spine, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand at attention. If he hadn't known for certain that he was alone in his closed up room, he would have had the feeling that someone was watching over his shoulder, memorizing his every keypress and mouse click.

Gulping, Yugi cast a wary glance over his shoulder, to see his door wide open to the dark hallway outside. Yugi always kept his door closed when he was in his room.

"I guess I could've forgotten," he mumbled as he stood up and went to his door.

Yugi peaked out of his room, looking down the hallway to the edge of the staircase. Everything was still and dark as it should be. And yet, something felt amiss.

"Probably just my mind playing tricks on me," Yugi thought as he shut his door and returned to his computer.

 _Suiyobi, Wednesday, March 20, 2002_

That winter was a long and bleak one for Yugi. However, Jou, Honda and Bakura kept him grounded by constantly coming around and hanging out with him in the shop or taking him out to the arcade, the mall, Burger World and all the other fun hangouts. At last, the sun began to rise a bit earlier and move higher in the sky, causing the air to warm just a tiny bit and the snow to begin to melt. Though still a way off, Spring was showing its first signs of returning.

With the passing of another year came another high school graduation. Among this year's grads was one Kawa'i Shizuka. In the bleachers sat Jounouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto, both watching with silent appreciation as Shizuka marched in perfect sync with her class.

The very next day, Shizuka packed her bags and the three of them climbed into Jou's red car for the drive to Domino.

At the game shop, Yugi looked up from stocking the shelves with the latest Duel Monsters cards. It was time. Abandoning the cards, he stood up and went outside to meet his three friends for the ride to Burger World.

"Hey, guys. How was the graduation?" he asked as he climbed in the back with Honda.

"Long and borin'," was Jou's answer.

"Too hot," complained Honda.

"Alright, you two, stop complaining. It's over now, so let's go enjoy ourselves," said Shizuka wisely.

"Yes, ma'am," said brother and boyfriend in sync as the group sped off for Burger World.

The evening was spent with Honda and Shizuka, Yugi, Jou, Otogi and Bakura sitting around, eating hamburgers and fries, and drinking Coke.

As they ate, Honda and Otogi exchanged dirty looks at each other, still bitterly recalling their contest for Shizuka's affection last Obon. However, Otogi wouldn't ruin the night for the young woman, so contented himself with casting baleful glances at Honda instead.

As the evening wore on, the young adults sat around swapping stories of all their great adventures in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. By silent mutual consent, anything concerning Egypt was excluded from the conversation.

With the warm companionship, good food and funny stories, Yugi found himself opening up a bit, smiling and even laughing when Jou bragged about all his victories in their adventures and all the cards he had collected.

At last, the hour grew late, the sun making its way to the western horizon, pink and orange light reflecting off the clouds gathering in the sky. Jou, Honda and Shizuka still had to drive back to Jou's apartment, where the young couple would spend the night before heading off for Hokkaido in the morning.

"You sure you'll be OK walkin' home on yer own? If ya ride wit' us, I can drop dese two off, den take ya ta da shop," offered Jou.

"It's fine, Jou. Spend the rest of the night with your sister. It's your last chance before she moves after all," encouraged Yugi.

"Yeah, to Hokkaido," said Jou distastefully. "Of all da places to move to, why'd dey hafta pick an ar'tic wasteland?"

"It seems rather extreme, but with his engineering degree, Honda can get good work up there, repairing ski lifts and Shizuka's talent with flowers will be wanted this spring," pointed out Yugi.

"Yeah, yeah. Honda just bettah treat her right, or I'll engineer his ass!" sneared Jou. "Well, we're off! See ya soon, Yuge!"

"Bye, guys!" called Yugi as the car drove off and he set out for home.

 _'Another friend leaves,'_ Yugi thought glumly as he glanced up at the cloudy sky. _'Everyone's beginning to move away, toward their own lives.'_

With the moon and stars obscured by thick, gray clouds, the darkness seemed especially ominous tonight. The shadows reached for him like invisible claws just beyond the small circles of light provided by the street lamps and store signs.

That was when he felt... a subtle shift in the surrounding atmosphere, a dull pressure in the back of his mind, something pressing down upon him from all around.

Yugi froze in his tracks, head swiveling as he surveyed his surroundings. The streets were utterly deserted, all the businesses locked up tight for the night. It seemed as though everyone had disappeared from the world and he had been left utterly alone, a very discomfiting feeling indeed.

An icy wind wrapped itself around Yugi's slender frame, chilling him to the marrow of his bones. The whole atmosphere was covered in a closeness not to be described in speech.

Yugi broke into a run, grateful when the familiar sign of the Kame Game Shop came into sight. Reaching into his pocket even as he continued running, Yugi had his key ready to unlock the door as soon as he skidded to a stop.

He unlocked the door, let himself in and locked the door behind him in what had to be record time. Then he stopped and looked out the window. The dark street outside was as deserted as his entire walk home had been.

So why had he felt like he was not alone?

 _Later that night..._

Yugi sat at his computer, checking for updates on his bookmarked sites when,

 _creeeeeaaaaak_

 _ptam_

The distinctive sound of the side door opening and closing, the side door that Yugi damn well knew he had locked! Then he felt it, the return of that heavy feeling from his walk home, as though whatever it was had invited itself into the building.

 _creak creak creak_

The house settling? That's what it had to be, as absolutely no one else save himself was in the building. Turning around to look, Yugi saw only the scattered toys, games and manga on his bedroom floor, his door closed securely against the darkness that shrouded the rest of the house.

 _creak creak creak_

As he stared at his door, the feeling intensified, as though whatever it was now stood right outside his door, hand on the knob, ready to turn it and walk in. Yugi sat in rigid anticipation, half-waiting for the knob to begin jiggling.

"Go away!" he called as strongly as he could.

A feeling of rejection and heartbreak swept over Yugi as soon as those words had left his mouth. Tears pricked at his eyes even as he heard the phantom footfalls begin to recede.

 _creak creak creak creak creak_

As whatever it was moved away, Yugi felt the heartbreak that wasn't his drain from his heart, leaving him feeling spent, but also curious. The heavy feeling in the air ebbed a bit. However, there it remained, a subtle but niggling presence that would be with Yugi from this day forward in the little game shop that he was alone in, yet not.

 _Doyobi, Saturday, April 6, 2002_

Today had been a decent day. Jou, Otogi and Bakura had swung by and taken Yugi around town, stopping at the Black Crown Game Shop, various arcades and even some dance clubs. After cruising around, the gang had stopped at Burger World and chowed down on burgers, fries and pop till they were almost sick.

Now though, evening had set in and Yugi was once again alone in his room, sitting at his desk, going over the latest utility bills that he was now responsible for. Even the accounting program he was running them through did little to help him discern the cryptic rates and numbers.

 _'Damn it!'_ he thought as pounded his fist onto his wooden desk. _'How did Grandpa manage all this crap?'_

 **THUMP!**

 _...bump..._

The thump was repeated from downstairs, causing Yugi's heart to skip a beat in his chest.

 _'What was that?'_ he thought, the memory of those ominous footsteps from a few nights ago crashing to the forefront of his mind.

Yugi knocked on his desk three times by means of experimentation.

 **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**

 _...bump...bump...bump..._

 _'What the hell?'_ Yugi thought, heart now pumping like a jackhammer.

Wanting to test it further, he knocked again.

 **THUMP THUMP... THUMP THUMP... THUMP THUMP THUMP**

 _...bump bump...bump bump...bump bump bump_

 _'That does it!'_ Yugi thought to himself, leaning over and grabbing his baseball bat.

He opened his door, flicked on the hallway light and began moving toward the edge of the stairwell.

 _creak creak creak creak_

The normal creaks the floor made when someone walked on it now rang loudly in Yugi's ears, making him feel as though whatever else was in the house would be able to find him easily; not a comfortable feeling.

When he reached the edge of the stairwell, he flicked on the stairway light and began his descent, one creaky step at a time.

 _creak creak creak creak_

 _'OK, I'm definitely getting these tightened,'_ Yugi thoughts, as the creaks continued to echo loudly in his ears.

 **THUMP! BUMP!**

Each sound made Yugi's heart skip a beat as beads of sweat poured down his brow.

"Whoever's there, I'm armed!" he called to the darkness beyond the staircase.

 **THUMP! BUMP! THUMP!**

The sound answered, as though mocking his declaration.

With one last step down, Yugi flicked on the light switch for the kitchen. The illuminated room showed absolutely no sign of intrusion, nothing out of place. Moving cautiously, Yugi made his way to the living room and turned on that light too. The couch and TV both sat quietly, nothing at all out of place here either.

With nothing else to do here, Yugi shut off the living room light, went back through the kitchen and shut off that light as well, standing again at the bottom of the staircase.

 _'I guess it could've been the house settling,'_ he thought dubiously.

 **THUMP! BUMP!**

Yugi jumped back and stared up the staircase. Now it was coming from Grandpa's room!

 _'What the hell?'_ he thought again.

With the house's layout, there was no way an intruder would have been able to get from the ground floor to Grandpa's room without Yugi having seen them!

Yugi pounded back up the stairs and into Grandpa's room, only to stop dead, eyes bugging out in shock and horror at the spectacle before him: Lying on his grandfather's dresser was Yugi's beloved Black Magician card!

Setting the bat carelessly aside, Yugi slowly approached the dresser, eyes darting about. The room was as it had always been, all the old knickknacks and artifacts in their rightful places. Who or what could have moved the card from Grandpa's hidden deck, onto his dresser in the few seconds Yugi had been downstairs?

Yugi stopped and listened. The house had fallen silent. He picked up his Black Magician card and slowly backed away from the dresser, a cold feeling of unease crawling up his spine. Turning on his heel, Yugi beat a hasty retreat up the hall to his own comforting room. Pausing only to close the door behind him, Yugi picked up his golden box and laid the Black Magician card back in his deck before putting before replacing the lid and laying the box back on the windowsill.

 _'Grandpa?'_ he thought to himself.

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, April 7, 2002_

The next morning, Yugi was in his room, listlessly eating Garlic Doritos and chugging Mountain Dew, when he heard the familiar screech of tires outside and an engine being cut off. Moving mechanically, he stood up and went down to the side door to admit his blond friend. To his surprise, Bakura was with him.

"Hey, dude!" greeted Jou.

"Hello, Yugi," said Bakura.

"Hi, Jou. Bakura, the museum let you out to play?" Yugi asked through a wide yawn.

"Yes, for good behavior," responded Bakura, with a light smile.

Jou did a double take at Yugi's pale face with the black bags under his eyes. The past few months had been rough on Yugi, to put it mildly, but not since the week of Sugoroku's death had Yugi looked this out of it.

"Man, what's gotchu so outta it?" Jou asked, looking Yugi squarely in the eyes. "And if ya say it was nothin', I'm lockin' ya in da stockroom till ya tell me wut's up!"

For a moment, Yugi hesitated. He felt nauseous at the idea of telling his friends that he had been scared shitless by some disembodied sounds last night. But the card... the card he had found in Grandpa's room.

"Guys... I think the game shop might be... haunted," he began, bracing himself for his friends to either laugh scornfully at him, or run out of the house screaming.

Instead, he was surprised when Bakura responded quite calmly.

"What makes you think so?"

"Well, first you have to understand: Ever since that time Kaiba took Grandpa's favorite Blue Eyes card, he started hiding his dueling deck somewhere in his room; exactly where, he wouldn't even tell me. OK?" Yugi began.

Jou and Bakura nodded.

"Anyway, the last time Grandpa and I dueled, he had my Black Magician card because he had taken it with Brain Control. When he took his deck to his room with him, he forgot to give me my card back and I didn't think to ask him because I was so worried about him," Yugi continued.

Jou and Bakura nodded again.

"Well, last night, when I was in my room, I heard these weird bumping sounds from down here," Yugi recalled.

Jou looked around, gulping nervously, while Bakura remained stoic, brown eyes fastened on Yugi, imploring him to continue his story.

"So I grabbed a baseball bat and came down and checked the kitchen and living room. Everything was normal. Just as I was about to head back upstairs, I heard the noise from Grandpa's room," Yugi continued. "You guys know the layout of the building. There's no way anyone could get upstairs without me seeing them!"

"For sure," agreed Jou.

"So I went to his room... and saw my Black Magician lying on his dresser!" Yugi finished up.

"Gods..." said Bakura.

"Dude! Dat's crazy!" was Jou's intelligent response.

"I know!" agreed Yugi. "I didn't fall asleep till 2 AM. And it's not just that. The night of Honda and Shizuka's sendoff, I heard footsteps in the house, after I got home and locked up. Ever since then, I've been feeling something in the building, even when I know I'm alone."

"Do you think it's... your grandfather?" Bakura ventured uncomfortably.

"I dunno," was Yugi's honest answer.

In Jou's mind, there was no doubt. After all, last night's activity had centered around Grandpa's room.

"Dat's gotta be it! Dere's nobody else it could be. Yer grandpa's only been... gone... a couple a months. Maybe he ain't crossed ovah yet," posited the blond.

"Well, I have to help him!" cried Yugi. "But what do I do?"

Jou scratched his head and screwed up his face, trying to think of something, but had to shrug his shoulders at length.

"I got nothin'," he admitted unhappily.

Yugi sighed and hung his head.

"I think I might have an idea," Bakura volunteered hesitantly.

Yugi and Jou fixed expectant gazes on the doe-eyed teen.

"I saw something online a few days ago that seems relevant to this situation," Bakura continued.

"W-what?" asked Yugi.

"Yeah, anythin' ya got, spill," urged Jou.

"You have to buy a radio and a digital recorder. Then you alter the radio's tuner so it can't stay on any one station for more than a quarter of a second. When you turn the radio on, it sweeps through the stations and the spirits are said to be able to manipulate the white noise to form words. Using the digital recorder, you ask the spirit questions and then play back the session when finished. If you hear direct replies, you may have an intelligent haunting on your hands," explained Bakura.

"Wait! Ya mean ya want Yuge to actually to talk to da dead?" asked Jou, a shiver running down his spine.

"Yes. It's the most direct way to find out what's happening. Everything you've said indicates to me that you're dealing with an intelligent haunting, which means that if you ask the right questions, it may give you the answers you seek," said Bakura.

"Uh, I dunno about this," Yugi faltered.

"What have you to lose by trying?" Bakura asked solemnly.

"Well, nothing really," admitted Yugi with a shrug.

"Just yer immortal soul," glowered Jou.

"Oh, stuff and nonsense, Jou. There are hundreds of paranormal research groups across the globe who conduct these ITC sessions night after night and none of them has lost their immortal soul," said Bakura with a smile. "At the very least, it might help you to find out if it is your grandfather and if it is, what you can do to help him cross over."

The thought of Grandpa's spirit trapped in the world, unable to move on, for whatever reason, made a shiver run down Yugi's spine.

"I'll do it," he said at last. "Grandpa needs me."

"Let's go to electronics store and get a radio and digital recorder," said Bakura. "Then we can get the instructions on how to alter the radio on your computer."

"OK," said Yugi.

Yugi and Bakura looked over at Jou, who looked like he wanted to do nothing more than run from the house screaming and never come back. To both their surprise, Jou squared his shoulders and looked his friends straight in the eye.

"I'll go too," he said stiffly.

Yugi and Bakura exchanged smiles and the three were off for the electronics store.

After buying what they needed, the trio entered the house through the side door, Yugi carefully locking the door behind them, then stepping out of their footwear. As soon as they stepped up from the genkan, they were hit by an atmosphere so thick and so cold that Yugi swore he could almost see his breath on the air, as though it were a winter's day outside, even though it was a warm, sunny spring day.

They stopped in their tracks, their skin crawling. Jou's eyes widened with panic, as though he were debating with himself whether or not his continued presence in the shop was a good idea.

Bakura shivered and looked about them.

"Gods, Yugi. This is bad. You need to find out what this is and get it out of here as soon as possible. If it lingers, the very building will be corrupted by its presence," he exhorted.

"Let's jus' git dis ova wit'," snapped Jou, visibly shaking all over.

"Yeah," agreed Yugi, feeling chills run up and down his spine.

"The first thing we'll need is a toolkit. Have you one?" asked Bakura.

"Yeah. You guys head upstairs. Wake my computer and go to the site while I get the toolkit," instructed Yugi, still feeling unease at this whole undertaking gnawing in his stomach.

Swallowing the dread that crept up his spine in this heavy atmosphere, Yugi went over to the drawer, in which reposed the desired toolkit, and began rummaging about for it. His fingers hit the smooth steel surface of the box and latched onto it. Just as he was about to drag the box out, he felt a hand settle on his shoulder.

"I said go wait in my..."

The words died on his tongue when he turned and saw empty space behind him where Bakura or Jou should have been standing. Panic coursing through his veins, Yugi yanked the box from the drawer and dashed for the staircase. He pounded upstairs to his room and shut the door more quickly than normal. Bakura and Jou looked up from the still dialing computer at him, noting his pale features.

"Ya OK, man? Ya look like ya seen a ghost," joked Jou, by way of lightening the heavy atmosphere.

"Really, Jou?" chided Bakura, glaring askance at the blond.

"Not 'seen'," was all Yugi would say.

"We're online," declared Bakura, firing up Netscape and typing in the site address.

Soon the site with the instructions was loaded.

"This is where we'll need you, Jou. You've more mechanical aptitude than Yugi and me combined, so we'll need you to work on the radio," said Bakura.

With a nod, Jou took the toolkit from Yugi, turned to the radio and got to work.

"OK," said Jou as he closed the radio up. "If I did dis right, it should work."

"Thanks, Jou," said Bakura as he took the radio. "Let's head back downstairs and test it."

Yugi gulped, but forced himself to nod bravely. He opened the door and the three headed downstairs. As they made their way down, they were again hit by the cold, static-electric atmosphere. The very air they breathed in sent a chill to the marrow of their bones. Jou made as if to bolt back upstairs, but was stayed by the hand of Bakura, who glared daggers at him. Yugi steeled himself and continued on because it was his duty to help Grandpa cross over.

When they reached downstairs, Bakura handed the radio to Yugi.

"Here you are."

"Me?!" yelped Yugi.

"Hell, yeah. It's yer place 'n yer ghost, so you ask da questions," insisted Jou, cowering behind Bakura.

"Such a brave soul," said Bakura with a roll of his eyes. "Although he is right: we'll be more likely to get responses if you ask the questions, Yugi. I'll record the session."

"Oh, alright!" Yugi huffed petulantly.

With this, Bakura pressed the Record button.

"This is April 11, 2002, 11:12 AM at the Kame Game Shop. Mutou Yugi, Bakura Ryou and Jounouchi Katsuya conducting ghost box session number one. Yugi," said Bakura gravely into the microphone.

With a nod, Yugi flicked the switch and the small radio powered to life. Almost immediately, it started scrolling through the stations, the numbers on its orange LED sweeping rapidly up and down. As garbled noise and static screeched through its speaker, Yugi cleared his throat and began.

"This is Mutou Yugi. I would like to know if my grandfather, Mutou Sugoroku has been able to cross over to the afterlife, or if he is still at the Kame Game Shop. Thank you," he tried.

Yugi looked over to Bakura, who nodded for him to keep going.

"Grandpa, was that you last night? Did you put my Black Magician card on your dresser for me to find?" Yugi asked.

More static and garbled noise as the radio continued to sweep.

"Are you causing the coldness down here?" Yugi asked.

The radio continued to sweep with garbled fragments of human speech coming through.

"Do you need my help to cross over to the afterlife?" Yugi inquired.

The trio went through the building, asking random questions, the static-electric atmosphere permeating every room they ventured into, always causing goosebumps to rise on their bare arms. Sometimes a faint voice was heard, but mostly they were greeted by static as the radio continued to sweep.

After 15 minutes, Bakura stopped the recorder.

"Shut off the radio, Yugi," he instructed.

After Yugi had done so, Bakura handed him the recorder.

"Now comes the fun part. You listen back to what we just recorded and hopefully there will be some responses. Write down whatever you hear," the doe-eyed teen instructed.

"Alright, Bakura. Thanks," said a dubious Yugi.

"Been good hangin' witcha, Yuge. Catch ya t'morrow! Let's go, Bakura!" said Jou, grabbing Bakura and yanking him out the side door.

Yugi watched them go with a snort of amusement.

After Bakura and Jou had left, Yugi hooked up the digital recorder to his computer and transferred the recording from the device to the computer so he could listen over better quality speakers.

Heart thundering in his chest, Yugi double clicked the sound file and waited for it to load.

"Grandpa, was that you last night? Did you put my Black Magician card on your dresser for me to find?"

 _"Yu-gi..."_

At this reply, a stunned Yugi paused the file.

 _'My name? No mistake! That was my name!'_

He quickly wrote the result down before unpausing the file and listening again.

"Are you causing the coldness down here?"

 _"Here..."_

Again, Yugi paused the file and wrote down what he had heard.

 _'Here?'_ Yugi thought.

Then he remembered Grandpa's words from his dream in the graveyard.

"I'm here..." he said softly to himself.

 **THUMP BUMP THUMP**

The noise came from just at the base of the stairwell.

 _creak creak creak creak creak_

Yugi's eyes widened and sweat broke out on his features as he heard those terrible creaking sounds getting closer and closer until they were at his very door.

 **knock knock knock**

At this sound, Yugi's courage failed him. He jumped out of his chair, carried it over to the door and wedged it on its back legs under the knob to prevent anyone, or anything from entering. Without even bothering to turn off his light, Yugi dove under his covers, and pulled them up over his head. Not that he was scared or anything; he would just feel better and sleep more soundly with the light on.

 _creak creak creak creak creak creak_

Yugi breathed a slight sigh of relief as the footsteps faded down the hallway and back down the staircase. As he huddled under the blanket, he listened for any other sounds, but heard only the sound of silence.

 _'Grandpa, why are you doing this?'_ he thought warily.

The next day saw Bakura and Jou back at the game shop to hear the results of the session. The trio sat in Yugi's room, listening intently as the file played back on Yugi's computer. When the file ended, the three friends sat in profound silence for quite a while.

"Dat's fuckin' insane! Dis place's fucked up!" piped up Jou, only to receive a whap on the back of his head from Bakura.

"Really, Jounouchi!" the doe-eyed teen glowered. "Yugi, those two words you captured are amazing, especially your very name. There's no doubt that you're dealing with an intelligent haunting."

"The question is, what do I _do_ about it?" asked Yugi.

"Well, the ghost hunting videos I've seen suggest claiming your space by firmly dismissing the spirit from your home," replied Bakura.

"I can't do that to my Grandpa!" protested Yugi.

"Yugi, even if it _is_ your grandfather, you don't want him lingering in this world," pointed out Bakura. "Remember what Isis said."

"I know, but..." said Yugi, hanging his head sadly.

"Kin we all jus' git outta here fer a while?" pleaded Jou. "Dis place dun feel right."

"It _is_ rather oppressive. Let's go to the mall and eat there. My treat," suggested Bakura.

"OK," said Yugi in a sad, small voice.


	5. Golden Summer Days

_April 29 - May 5  
Golden Week_

The coming of the week long holiday from school and work known as Golden Week hailed the return of Honda and Shizuka from Sapporo for a weeklong visit.

Yugi yawned and stretched out as he glanced at the vault of blue sky through his skylight. A smile graced the young man's features. He was so glad the weather was giving Honda and Shizuka a beautiful day for their visit.

 _Bzzzz!_

Yugi quickly flipped his phone open.

W4rDoG: **ill b there by 9 dont eat no brkfst cuz wer etn bw**

blackmage: **OK.**

W4rDoG: **cant w8 2 c lil sis agn o & the jerk 2**

blackmage: **LOL It seems like Honda and Shizuka have made a life for themselves in Sapporo.**

W4rDoG: **guess so if honda can a4d a car now**

After getting dressed, Yugi got on his computer for something to do until Jou came by. He would have watched TV downstairs, but ever since that creepy night back in March, he never felt alone downstairs, even when he knew he was. The feeling was just unnerving enough to make Yugi keep to the upstairs as much as he could, though he certainly did venture downstairs when he needed to. He just preferred being upstairs, where it was usually a bit less... crowded.

Yugi played some video games for a while, then fired up KaZaA, which had MP3s and even entire movies not available in Japan for download. Due to his being on dialup, the movies were out of the question, but the MP3s were doable and Yugi started a download of a promising looking song called _Cemetery Gates_ , by an American band called Pantera.

When the clock showed 8:55, Yugi looked at his computer, his download only halfway finished. He quickly decided to leave the machine running to finish its download. Just then he heard the screech and the honk. Pausing only to grab his wallet, Yugi flew from his room, down the hall, the stairwell and through the kitchen, pausing only to step into his shoes in the genkan, before going out the door to meet his friend.

"Hey, dude, Ready to rock?" Jou asked.

"Ready," replied Yugi as he jumped over the door and into the seat beside Jou.

"Yer winded. Place still creepin' ya out?" Jou asked as he put the car in gear.

"A bit. I just stay in my room," shrugged Yugi.

"Dun worry. We'll find a way to get ridda it one a dese days," said Jou goodnaturedly.

"I'm not worr..."

Jou's phone suddenly blasted its heavy metal text tone. He grabbed the device and checked the message.

"Fuck! Dere already at Burger World!" he exclaimed. "Hang on!"

Before Yugi could respond, Jou put the pedal to the metal and they whizzed down the street toward Burger World, heavy metal blasting in their wake.

When they arrived at BW, Jou hastily parked the car, then he and Yugi jumped out and ran into the diner. In a booth, side by side, sat Honda and Shizuka. It was Shizuka who saw them first, hazel eyes lighting in glad recognition.

"Katsuya!" she called out happily.

"Hey sis! Honda, ya ol' bastard! How ya guys been?!" cried Jou, plopping down across the table from the couple.

"Big brother, I've missed you so much!" said Shizuka, giving Jou's hand a quick squeeze across the table.

"Hey, guys! Been a long time. Have we got a lot of stories to tell you," said a smiling Honda.

"Yeah. Tell us all about Hokkaido," asked Yugi as he sat down next to Jou.

After one of the waitresses took the group's orders, they fell into talking.

"So how's it been, workin' da slopes?" asked Jou.

"Cold, but a lot of fun. Me and Shizuka get free run of the slopes as long as there's no work for me to do," said Honda.

"So ya know how to ski now?" grinned Jou.

"Skiing my ass. Snowboarding's my thing. Shizuka's the skier," said Honda, jerking his head over to his girlfriend. "In fact, she's so good, they made her an instructor before the first month was out."

"Well, just with the little kids," said Shizuka humbly.

"That's not all you've been up to," teased Honda.

"Hiroto..." chided Shizuka. Then with a little sigh, she began. "I've been working in the giant flower fields up there. It's just the prettiest place in the world."

"Dat so?" said Jou with a proud smile.

"She's a natural talent with plants and has a great eye for how everything should look," bragged Honda.

"Oh, I'm not that good, Hiroto," said Shizuka, humbly brushing off her boyfriend's compliment.

"The director only said her rows are the prettiest he's seen," bragged Honda.

"Alright, Hiroto. They get the idea," said Shizuka, reaching under the table and squeezing Honda in a certain area that made him give off a high pitched...

"Eeep!"

"Um, speaking of flowers, there's a pretty spread in Domino Park. Why don't we all go see them after we eat?" piped up Yugi.

"I'd love to!" agreed Shizuka.

"Sounds good," said Honda in his new soprano voice.

Just then, hamburgers fries and Cokes were brought. The four fell into a contented silence as they ate.

 _Domino Park_

From one end to the other, the central park was a bower of colorful bloom. The air was perfumed by many different scents and bees and hummingbirds flitted about everywhere, taking advantage of the offerings of nectar. The sun blessed the park with its bright light and a warm, perfumed breeze blew the plants, making them seem to dance to a silent rhythm.

The park was teeming with people and dogs, elderly couples, young couples in love, families with children and babies and of course, groups of youthful friends, all there for the purpose of enjoying the beautiful flowers and trees on this Greenery Day.

The quartet wandered about, taking in all the sights and scents the lovely little park had to offer. It may not have been as grand as the flower fields of Hokkaido, but it was nothing to sneeze at either.

"Clear out of my space, morons!" came a familiar, rude voice, cutting in on the gaiety of the occasion.

"Aw, shit..." said Jou as the four turned to look into the sharp blue eyes and dour visage of Kaiba Seto, who sat on a park bench, ever present laptop balanced on his knees. "Dun tell me yer actually workin' durin' Golden Week."

The scowl deepened as icy blue eyes narrowed.

"Unlike you slackers, I have a business to run; Golden Week doesn't change that," growled the CEO.

"But you came to the park instead of staying in your office, so you must be enjoying yourself," pointed out Yugi.

Kaiba stiffened and shifted his position on the bench.

"Coming here wasn't _my_ idea," he grumbled, icy gaze shifting away from the group.

The four friends' eyes followed Kaiba's gaze a short distance off to behold a boy with long black hair, talking with some girls who were wandering about, looking at the flowers. Upon seeing the familiar group off in the distance, Mokuba smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi, guys! Happy Golden Week!" he called to them.

"Hi, Mokuba! Same to you!" Yugi returned happily.

"Well, at least one a da two of ya actually knows how to chill out 'n have fun," grinned Jou.

"Shove it, guard dog!" growled Kaiba, closing his laptop before standing up and shoving his way right through the middle of the foursome, then stalking off to the field where his younger brother was.

"Nice ta see you too!" Jou called after the CEO. "Let's go t'da otha side a the park. _Dis_ side's a bit chilly all of a sudden."

The foursome spent the rest of the day wandering about the cheerful park, Jou keeping a wary eye out for any sign of Kaiba. Thankfully, the park was large enough to accommodate the group and the Kaiba brothers and delight rained down on everyone on that first golden day of the golden week.

 _That night..._

"I had a great time today. Thanks, Jou," said Yugi as he hopped out of Jou's car.

"Yup. See ya tomorrow," smiled Jou.

Jou took off, heavy metal blasting out of his car's speakers and Yugi let himself in. It was the sound of heavy metal blasting from upstairs that caused him to hurriedly remove his shoes and dash upstairs toward his room.

 _And when she died_  
 _I couldn't cry_  
 _The pride within my soul_  
 _You left me incomplete_  
 _All alone as the memories now unfold._  
 _Believe the word_  
 _I will unlock my door_  
 _And pass the_  
 _Cemetery gates_

When Yugi opened his door, he found his computer's media program open, playing the song he had left downloading, over and over in a loop. Eyes wide in horror and dismay, Yugi jumped across the room to his computer and stopped the playback.

"No way," he said softly.

 _...thump bump thump..._

The familiar, eerie sounds from downstairs caused Yugi to quickly gather his PJs and tear down the hall and into the bathroom. It had been a long, but fun day and he was tired.

 _May-June, 2002_

Spring passed into summer, bringing bright sunlight carried in on warmer winds. Flowers gave way to seeds and cicadas began singing their summer song among the verdant foliage of the trees.

Grateful for the change in weather, Yugi began leaving the game shop door open to get much needed air and sunlight into the little store. Now that the children were out of school for a one month holiday, the shop was flooded with young kids coming in to buy Duel Monsters and other games. Yugi's heart was gladdened at the sight of the small fry with their uplifting exuberance.

Unfortunately, the coming of summer also meant the opening of Kaiba Land and this meant that Jou had next to no free time to come over and hang out. Yugi began relying very heavily on email to keep in contact with the blond and the two spent each day emailing each other back and forth, commenting and complaining about their respective work.

The presence continued to be felt at the game shop. Not a night passed by that Yugi didn't hear some strange thumping noises from downstairs. In addition to this, on some nights, he was treated to the sound of footsteps on the lower floor, staircase and hallway just outside his room.

 _Nichiyobi, Sunday, June 2, 2002_

Yugi stretched out his limbs and looked gratefully at the blue sky with just a few wispy clouds floating in it through skylight. Song birds wheeled and turned about in the wind, adding to the loveliness of the day. It was as if the weather had remembered one young man's birthday and made the day light and beautiful all for him.

 _'In another year, I'll be a full adult,'_ Yugi thought, feeling both joyful and solemn at once.

 _Bzzzz!_

He picked up his phone and flipped it open.

W4rDoG: **happy bday yuge gt ur ass ^ & dressed im takin u out all day**

With a wide smile, Yugi quickly tapped out his reply.

blackmage: **Thanks, Jou. I'll be ready. Don't empty your wallet for me though.**

 _Bzzz!_

W4rDoG: **dont wrry abt tht KCs bn gd 2 me**

After shedding his PJs and donning jeans and a simple white t-shirt, Yugi went about the monumental task of taming his large spiky hair, then ran downstairs just as the familiar squeal of tires and honking horn sounded.

There was Jou in his red convertible, heavy metal blaring from his speakers. With the rag top down, the sun shone on the blond's hair, making it seem to glow like fire. A large grin spread across the young man's features at the sight of his buddy.

"C'mon Yuge! Let's go party!"

Yugi bounded outside, pausing only to lock the side door and leapt into the front passenger seat. As soon as Yugi was seated, Jou shifted into drive and punched the pedal. As they went along, both young men head banged to the crying guitars and screeched lyrics of Jou's chosen musical genre. Although not initially a metal head, Yugi had found quite a few bands that he genuinely liked and this was one of them. He bobbed his head up and down and wailed the lyrics as best he could.

Before long, they were in Downtown Domino. After parking the car, Yugi and Jou went to find a restaurant for breakfast. They quickly came upon a small roadside ramen stand and ordered themselves two bowls, Jou getting pork and Yugi getting beef.

 _'Grandpa would be beside himself if he could see me eating breakfast at a ramen stand. But what the hell? You only get one birthday each year,'_ Yugi thought as he slurped up noodles.

After breakfast, Yugi and Jou went to their old favorite arcade. Yugi noted thankfully that with the summer holiday, there was a marked increase in the number of kids and teens coming in, compared to what he and Anzu had seen upon their visit here last year.

The arcade was filled wall to wall with students, enjoying their holiday to the most. Consoles lined the walls, their screens flashing hypnotically at all the kids hunched over them. The floor was sticky with spilled pop and the air smelled of Coca-Cola and nachos. The noises from the video games, explosions, punches, gun shots, car motors, combined with the shouting and laughter of the youth, created a cacophony that reverberated off the walls and fed back on itself in a never-ending loop. Thankfully, Yugi and Jou were both inured to it, having been coming to this place for years.

Yugi and Jou faced off in some martial arts video games, all of which Yugi handed Jou his ass in. Jou didn't mind being thumped by Yugi, because Yugi was always a gracious winner and never crowed about his victories.

After the martial arts games, Yugi and Jou plunked their coins into the slots of the car racing games and burned virtual rubber, each trying to reach the finish line first. Jou was a dirty driver and thought nothing of trying to run Yugi off the racetrack, but Yugi was very skilled and knew all of Jou's tactics, having played against him before, and was able to dodge Jou's advances and cross the finish line first.

"Ya got lucky!" glowered Jou without malice.

After the arcade came the movie theater. Yugi hadn't been to the theater since he had run out in the middle of _Fellowship_ six months ago. Today though, they took in _Austin Powers Goldmember_ , which was so hilarious, it had Yugi working hard to stifle his laughter only ten minutes in. Jou put his feet up on the seat before him, threw popcorn and hooted and hollered throughout the movie, much to Yugi's embarrassment.

Jou and Yugi exited the theater, laughing and joking about the movie they had just seen. The sun was slipping into the western horizon, leaving swathes of red and pink in its wake. A pleasantly cool breeze blew in from the Pacific Ocean, making it an evening to spend out having fun.

"So, ya wanna grab a bite?" Jou asked.

"Nah. I'm stuffed on theater food," smiled Yugi, patting his full stomach.

"I was hopin' ya'd say dat. Now we kin cut right to da piece a resistance," grinned Jou, pulling a pair of tickets from his pocket and holding them up to Yugi.

"Church of Misery, **mosh pit**?!" Yugi yelped, eyes lighting as he looked up into Jou's. "No way! How'd you..."

"Like I said, Kaiba Corp's been good to me," smirked Jou. "Dis concert's gonna go late. Ya ready?"

"Am I!" cried Yugi, figuring he could always keep the shop closed tomorrow.

The only bad part of getting into the concert was standing in a long line. However, Yugi and Jou contented themselves by talking about anything and everything or Yugi laughing himself nearly to tears at Jou's snide observations about the other concertgoers.

At long last though, they were through the line and into the mosh pit. The entire atmosphere was thick with the palpable tension that comes with anticipation as the concertgoers stood around talking and waiting for the main act.

Finally, the lights dimmed and the spotlights glowed on the stage. Then Church of Misery entered the stage. The audience erupted in bloodlust as Tatsu and Yoshiaki greeted them and announced their first song, _The Boston Strangler_. The speakers all around the pit blared loudly as the guitars started and the singers screeched their lurid lyrics of bloodshed. It was absolute pandemonium as some people were headbanging and others were slam dancing. A fist fight broke out as Jou took exception to someone shoving him from behind and leapt on them, kicking and punching.

 _PLEASE LET ME INSIDE_  
OPEN YOUR DOOR  
I'M HERE TO CHOKE YOU DOWN

Next thing Yugi knew, he had been picked up and was being passed around over everyone's heads. Fortunately, Jou had told Yugi about moshpits and he knew he was crowd surfing and wouldn't be harmed. Still, he hoped he would be able to find Jou after he was put down. Finally, Yugi was set down at the edge of the pit. Now came the daunting task of getting back to his spot. Yugi hunched down and weaved in and out among the other concertgoers without drawing anyone's ire.

 _SHOW ME YOU'RE SMILING_  
 _AND HEAR ME YOUR CRYING_  
 _WHITE TEARS FALL FROM MY GRACE_

Eventually, he found his way back and surely enough, there was Jou, sporting a few bruises and a shiner that would probably be swollen shut by tomorrow, but grinning ear to ear; the guy who had attacked him from behind nowhere to be seen.

 _REIGN OF SPERM - WHITE NOISE_  
 _I LOST MY MIND_  
 _IN A TRANCE, I WILL CUM_

The next song came on, the rhythm of it setting everyone slam dancing. Yugi got knocked about a couple times before picking up on the rhythm and hurdling himself into anyone coming at him. He knew he would be sore in the morning, but it was worth it!

The sun had long since set by the time Yugi and Jou had exited the arena, leaving a navy blue sky bedizened with twinkling diamond-like stars and a full moon smiling down upon them as they emerged into the somewhat cooler night air.

"So, howdja like yer first mosh pit?" Jou asked as he started the car.

"It was awesome! Let's do it again!" shouted Yugi, grinning more than Jou had seen him in several months.

"Dere's some American acts comin' in July. Metallica's awesome," hinted Jou.

"That would be cool!" said Yugi.

With a nod, Jou turned on the radio and more metal started blaring from the speakers as he put the car in gear and punched the gas pedal. As they tore down the freeway, Yugi and Jou headbanged to all the metal raging from the car's stereo until they reached Jou's apartment.

"Um, Jou, are you sure this is OK?" Yugi asked, vividly remembering the only time he and their friends had gone to Jou's apartment and had the dubious pleasure of meeting Jounouchi- _san_.

"If yer worried 'bout my ol' man, don't be. He's in jail fer a bar fight," said Jou in a low voice as he unlocked the door.

"Jou..." Yugi began.

"C'mon in!" said Jou brightly as the door opened and they stepped into the genkan.

"Please pardon the intrusion," Yugi said as they stepped out of their shoes.

"Heh! Always so polite," grinned Jou as they stepped up.

Poor Yugi was taken aback as to the state of the flat: beer cans, papers, and lewd magazines were strewn about the place, regardless of who saw them. Taking care not to stare openly, Yugi frowned as he thought of what Jou's home life must be like.

 _'Honda wasn't kidding when he said Jou came from a broken home,'_ he thought sadly.

"Dere ain't much in da fridge, but grab yerself somethin' if ya want. Gotta git some ice fer mah eye," said Jou.

"Thanks," said Yugi.

Upon opening the fridge door, Yugi discovered some actual food, like Grandpa used to bring home, including some nice rice balls.

"I'll just grab a couple rice balls!" he called.

"Dat's fine!" Jou's voice rang from down the hall.

After they had crashed on the couch, Jou grabbed the remote and turned on the stereo. Some laid back electric guitar music flowed in the background, giving the entire place a dreamy ambience.

"English band called Pink Floyd," explained Jou. "Dey ain't ezaklee heavy metal, but de're awesome anyway."

"Kinda hypnotic," said Yugi, liking the laid back, softer sounds after the harsh music from the mosh pit.

"Speakin' a hypnotic," grinned Jou as he tossed Yugi a beer can. "Happy birthday, man."

"But we're still a year underage," Yugi pointed out, looking dubiously at the can.

"So? Who's gonna check?" asked Jou as he cracked open his can. "C'mon, dude. Live it up!"

"Well... OK, but just one," Yugi resolved as he cracked open his can.

"Now yer talkin," said Jou, holding up his can, with Yugi following suit.

"Cheers!"

 _There is no pain, you are receding_  
 _A distant ship's smoke on the horizon_  
 _You are only coming through in waves_  
 _Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying_

As Yugi took his first ever drink of beer, the bitter taste made his tongue curl up on itself. The effects went straight to his head, causing a funny warmth to blossom in his stomach and slowly radiate throughout his being. As he kept drinking steadily, the warmth radiated more, making him feel dizzy and a bit stupid. By the time he had finished the can, his eyelids felt quite heavy and his movements impaired.

 _When I was a child_  
 _I caught a fleeting glimpse_  
 _Out of the corner of my eye._  
 _I turned to look but it was gone_  
 _I cannot put my finger on it now_  
 _The child is grown,_  
 _The dream is gone._

"*hic* Jou?" he asked.

"It's cool. It's hittin' ya cuz yer a lightweight," grinned Jou. "You'll prolly drop off soon."

"No' me. I'm wide 'wake... *hic*," said Yugi just before his eyelids fell closed and he tilted over on his side.

"Oh, yeah. Wide awake. Happy birthday, man," said Jou as he went for his second can.

 _I have become comfortably numb_

 _Doyobi, Saturday, July 13, 2002  
Obon_

In mid-July, the festival of the dead was once again upon Domino. Banners and chochin were strung up and the carnival was set up in Domino Park, where festivity hung in the atmosphere.

Yugi took the material he had purchased and worked in his room, putting the wood together and writing the kanji for Mutou Sugoroku on the rice paper before adding it to the wood.

 _Thump thump bump thump thump_

 **thump thump thump bump thump**

Yugi absently knocked on his desk.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll cross you over if it's the last thing I do. Just hang on a few more days," Yugi said resolutely as he continued his work on the small boat that would ferry his grandfather's soul into the afterlife on the last day of the festival.

The static electricity in the game shop seemed to grow stronger with the advent of the festival, as if a veil that had kept it from manifesting properly had been drawn aside. In fact, it was so strong that it actually woke Yugi up from a sound sleep. When he looked over, he saw his previously shut door wide open.

"Oh, my gods..." he murmured, feeling as though something were pressing down on his chest.

Sitting up, he grabbed his phone and emailed Jou about it.

blackmage: **Grandpa knows it's Obon. He's in my room right now. The air is just CRACKLING with electricity.**

 _Bzzzz!_

W4rDoG: **seems lyk if u wnt 2 snd ur grndpa 2 the nxt wrld u nd 2 sail a lantern 4 hm**

blackmage: **I was planning to do that. I hope it works.**

W4rDoG: **if it dont im outta ideas**

The static electric presence grew thicker and more agitated with each passing day. It got to the point where Yugi could barely stand being indoors and opted to spend all day out with Jou, who didn't object in the least.

Although a festival of the dead, Obon was a fun time, with so much to see and do, mostly at night, though there was plenty to do during the day too. Yugi and Jou spent each day walking about Domino Park, riding the rides, playing the games, taking in all the sights and stopping at the snack stands to feast on grilled dango and other goodies.

This year was a bit slower to Yugi because, alas, Honda, Otogi and Shizuka all had commitments elsewhere, so it was just he and Jou. However, he didn't let this get him down as they rode the roller coaster, the carousel and tea cups.

As last year, Yugi and Jou danced in the Bon Odori, moving gracefully and clapping their hands to the rhythm. This year, Yugi sensed something different in the atmosphere of this first night of the festival, almost as they he could feel the rift in the veil between this world and the next. It wasn't exactly scary, but it did send a thrill down his spine, even as he twisted and turned to the music.

Each evening, the cold static electricity was there, as though waiting for him, and assaulted him the moment he set foot into the house. Yugi would all but flee upstairs, take his bath and head straight to bed. Thankfully, this week, the entity didn't venture upstairs, so Yugi had this one sanctuary where the air was relatively normal.

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, July 16, 2002_

Yugi and Jou took in the sights and sounds of this final Obon night. There was music, fireworks, people running to and fro, shouts and swear words, drunkenness, just about everything one would expect of a large festival.

While Jou covered his eyes and screamed like a girl, a wide-eyed Yugi yelled at the tops of his lungs as the roller coaster started down the steep incline, quickly building up speed as it went, the wind whipping his spiky hair into disarray.

After the roller coaster came the tea cups. However, this was a bad idea, as Jou, still queasy after the roller coaster, had to lean over the edge and disgorge everything he had eaten earlier onto the platform below.

While Jou looked on, Yugi lit the candle contained in the four small rice paper walls. Carefully, he set the small lantern into the water and watched as the gentle waves bore it away to join the other souls on their trek back to the afterlife.

 _'Thanks for everything, Grandpa. I love you and... farewell,'_ Yugi thought as he tried to, but only partially succeeded in doing, swallow his tears.

Standing a short distance behind to give Yugi privacy, Jou noted the darkening sky.

 _'Dude, wut da fuck? Where da hell'd dis shit come from?'_ the blond thought in consternation. _'Looks like da only fireworks we'll get tonight'll be thunder 'n lightnin'.'_

"Hey, Yuge. Dere's a storm movin' in. Let's book b'fore it hits," Jou advised.

"Huh? What about the fireworks?" Yugi asked.

"We won't git nothin' but a good soakin' if we dun git outta here now. Sorry to say it, but da fireworks're bust dis year," said Jou, pointing to the ominous looking sky above them.

"Damn!" cried Yugi as he beheld the gray clouds encroaching on their fun.

When had the sky changed so much?

Jou and Yugi walked a bit before they got to the corner where they would split up to go to their respective homes.

"Thanks for coming to the festival with me, Jou," Yugi said quietly.

"No problem. Always a blast. Email me t'night," replied Jou, ruffling Yugi's spiky hair playfully.

"OK," said Yugi with a partial smile and halfhearted dodge from Jou's hand.

With no further words, the two friends split and went their separate ways for the night.

Jou's words proved prophetic as raindrops started to pelt cars, buildings, the sidewalk, everything, bouncing off the green leaves of trees, just as Yugi made it to his side door. In a very quick movement, Yugi had himself through the door and inside before he could get more than damp.

The rain quickly picked up pace until it was a downpour. Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by terrible sonic booms that shook the rafters and foundations of the game shop and made Yugi tremble. He couldn't remember a storm of this ferocity in his lifetime. It complemented the already thick and charged atmosphere that had permeated the festival over the evening.

The atmosphere inside the house was even moreso charged, the air so sharp with... something that Yugi couldn't describe, the young man could swear he could taste the static electricity on it.

And then he saw it: a thick gray mist floating in the air before him, like fog one would expect to find in a field after a goodly rain, only inside the house!

"Oh, my gods..." was Yugi's response as he quickly pulled out his phone and started taking picture after picture of this mist that not only floated, but undulated, changed directions with no wind blowing it and really seemed to be sentient!

The mist suddenly drifted toward Yugi, completely encircling him, pressing in from all sides. Yugi felt as though he were being smothered in supernatural aura to the point where he could barely make out the furniture in the room around him. The hairs on his neck and arms stood on end, an eerie tingling feeling coursing down his spine. It all became too much for Yugi to bear and he fled to the safety of his room, leaving the downstairs to his invisible, otherworldly guest.

In the comparative safety of the upstairs, Yugi grabbed his PJs and went for his shower and bath. The hot water splashing over his skin and the warm steam in the room helped to drive away the lingering effects of the cold, static electric mist downstairs.

Back in his room, huddled under the blanket, Yugi whipped out his phone, flipped it open and emailed all the mist pictures to Jou.

 _Bzzz!_

W4rDoG: **wtf dude thats fuqn crazy u wanna crash my place 2nyt i cn pik u ^**

blackmage: **I think I'll be OK here. Thanks though.**

W4rDoG: **ill swing by 2mrw**

blackmage: **OK see you then.**

W4rDoG: **cya**

 _creak creak creak creak_

Lightning flashed outside, lighting up the house.

Up the stairs.

Yugi lay as still as a statue, hoping that somehow staying still would make the entity lose interest in him and go away.

creak creak creak creak

Down the hall toward his room.

 **BOOM of thunder!**

Despite his best efforts to stay still, Yugi was trembling from head to toe, blood running cold in his veins.

 _creak creak_

The footsteps stopped just on the other side of his door. The handle turned and before Yugi's eyes, the door swung open, the mist drifting through and invading his room, chilling the air and causing goosebumps to swell on his arms as it moved toward him. The atmosphere pressed down on him from all sides, as though invisible hands were squeezing the very life out of him, leaving Yugi feeling sick and shivering all over. It was in this moment that he realized something painful.

"You're not my grandpa!" he cried angrily, tears pricking his eyes.

Yugi decided that it was time to put Bakura's advice from last April into practice and claim his territory. Balling his fists at his sides, Yugi stood up on his mattress, violet eyes blazing with uncharacteristic anger.

"Grandpa wouldn't scare me like this! I don't know what you are, but I don't want you here! Get out of my shop! Get out of my life!" he screamed.

The mist stopped its movement and hung thickly in the air as though pondering Yugi's words. Then he felt it, an overwhelming sorrow that stabbed him in the heart, causing him to clutch at his chest and double up in pain, wanting nothing more than to sob his heart out.

 _'What is it? What's this loneliness? Like my heart's being ripped to shreds!'_

Through the veil of tears that now dimmed his eyes, Yugi watched the mist slowly withdraw from his room, drifting out the door, pulling it closed after it. As the mist departed, the temperature of the room gradually returned to normal, causing the hairs on Yugi's arms and neck to rest against his skin once again. Very, very gradually, the heavy sorrow that was inundating his heart began to scale back, allowing his chest to lighten just a bit.

 _creak creak creak creak creak creak_

Down the hallway.

Two flashes of lightning.

 _creak creak creak creak creak creak_

Down the stairs.

The sound of the side door opening and shutting.

 _creeeeeaaaaak_

 _ptam_

 **BOOM!**

As Yugi lay staring at his door, the atmosphere of the house, which had been so thick and heavy for months, seemed shift and ebb away, as though chased out by his angry words. The pressure against his mind and body and the sorrow in his heart gradually lightened and then were just... gone, leaving a dull emptiness in their void.

Exhausted in mind and body, Yugi wiped the tears from his eyes and let the newfound lightness of the house's atmosphere combine with the steady drumming of the rain to lull him to sleep. Even the occasional flash of lightning and crack of thunder couldn't awaken him.

 _11:59 PM..._

Yugi lay curled up under the blanket, eyelids closed so that long lashes touched his cheeks, mouth open just a bit, a rivulet of drool running down his cheek.

Then it happened...

A flash of lightning so bright that for the split second it was there, it seemed like daylight outside, immediately followed by an earsplitting...

 **KABOOM!**

The entire house shook with the deafening timbre of that strike. Yugi's eyes, closed in sleep, opened wide, his entire body jerking in startlement from the noise and the sharp vibrations it caused.

 _'I've never heard thunder that loud!'_ he thought to himself.

The lightning continued to flash and the thunder to roll, but just in the garden variety manner now, as the raindrops continued to pelt on Yugi's skylight and windows. Violet eyes glazed over with exhaustion and Yugi felt his being slipping back into the heaviness of sleep, aided by the now serene atmosphere of the house.

 _...knock knock knock..._

Yugi's brain attempted to sink into dark solitude to escape the sound. Even so, the faint, but steady, cadence finally forced the young man through layers of consciousness until hesitant eyes pried themselves open. The thunder and lightning seemed to have stopped, though the deluge continued, unabated.

 _...knock knock..._

Yugi's eyes snapped open. He wasn't dreaming! Someone was knocking at the side door!

 _'Who the hell would be out in this weather?!'_ he thought as he lay still and listened.

 _...knock knock knock... knock knock..._

Grabbing his baseball bat for protection just in case, Yugi opened his bedroom door and flicked up the light switch to turn on the hallway light, only for the hallway to remain dark. He flicked the switch a couple more times.

 _'Damn! The storm must've knocked the power out!'_ he thought petulantly as he went to retrieve his flashlight.

 _...knock knock knock..._

Armed thus, Yugi made his way down the hallway until he stood at the top of the stairwell, staring into the darkness below. Each faint knock made his heart race and his skin crawl. Anyone who showed up at the house this late at night could only bring trouble with them.

 _'Maybe I should be calling the police instead,'_ Yugi thought to himself, then dismissed the idea. _'As if the police would trouble themselves over a knocking sound.'_

Yugi began his descent of the stairwell.

 _creak creak creak creak creak_

It was normal for the stairs to creak when someone walked on them. Tonight though, the creaking seemed abnormally loud, heightening the adrenaline already coursing pell mell through Yugi's veins, making him feel like he was about to jump out of his skin.

Then he was downstairs, the genkan and side door only a few yards to his left.

 **... knock knock knock knock knock... ...knock knock knock...**

The knocking had become louder and more frequent, indicating great desperation on the part of who or whatever was on the other side of that door. Standing across the kitchen from the genkan, Yugi strained his eyes to see anything, anything at all, against the darkness beyond the door's window. Alas, he saw nothing.

 **...knock knock knock knock...**

Did he really want to see what was on the other side of that door? All his self-preservation instincts screamed to simply run back upstairs, burrow under his blanket and leave the darkness to itself. Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, Yugi approached the genkan. Keeping his eyes on the window the whole time, he stepped down into his shoes and reached for the door. Entire body shaking with the rush of adrenaline, Yugi fumbled as he unlocked and opened the door. The next thing he knew, he was jumping back as something collapsed clear across the threshold!


	6. Fever Dreams

_A/N: (("Ancient Egyptian speech."))_

Startled, Yugi let out a yelp as he dropped the baseball bat and flashlight, which landed on the floor in just the right position to illuminate the face of his unexpected guest, causing Yugi to gasp in shock. Rainwater ran like rivulets through long, tricolored locks, among which Yugi could see a beautiful golden winged diadem. A soaked white shenti clung to the lean bronze body, serving to accentuate every plain and curve thereof. There could now be no mistaking the being's identity.

"Other Me!" Yugi sobbed as he knelt down and rolled the waterlogged figure over.

It _was_ Atem, as real and solid as he had been during the Ceremonial Duel. What was he doing here?! The Egyptian's eyelids were just able to crack open, revealing glazed crimson eyes that seemed unable to focus. His right hand reached up for Yugi, who promptly caught it in his. Ice cold!

"Yu... gi..." the ancient one managed to get out before succumbing.

"Other Me! Other Me! Wake up!" Yugi pleaded as he shook his Other's shoulders, to no avail.

 _'I have to get him inside and out of these wet clothes!'_ Yugi thought as he dragged Atem further inside, then shut and locked the door.

Mustering all his strength, Yugi slung the waterlogged Pharaoh's arm around his neck while gripping his other wrist. In this awkward manner, Yugi managed to drag the dead weight of his Other through the house, up the stairs and into the guestroom across from his own room.

After a very difficult struggle to get Atem positioned on the bed, Yugi ran into the bathroom and retrieved the digital thermometer. After carefully lifting the diadem from his Other's brow and setting it aside, Yugi touched the thermometer's sensor to Atem's temple and waited till it beeped, then checked the LED: 104°!

 _'You're burning up!'_ he thought in a panic. _'I can't do this alone!'_

"Other Me, hang on just a second. I have to get something from my room. I'll be right back," Yugi spoke in a raised voice, hoping to reach his Other's fevered mind.

"Aaannnhhh!" was the only reply he received as the Egyptian's head turned from side to side, face contorted in pain.

Yugi beat a hasty retreat to his room and quickly grabbed his phone off his desk. He tore across the hall and right back into the guestroom, as if afraid his Other might have disappeared in the few seconds he had been gone.

With trembling hands, Yugi scrolled through his contacts until he hit Jou, then composed an email, swearing aloud as the plastic device almost slipped from his wet hands several times as he worked.

blackmage: **Jou! I need you to come to the game shop right away! I need your help, please!**

 _Bzzz!_

W4rDoG: **want me 2 bring sum beer**

"Really, Jou?!" Yugi face palmed, then fired off another text.

blackmage: **I'm not joking. This is an emergency! Please come!**

 _Bzzz!_

W4rDoG: **on my way ovr brngn sum beer jst in case tho ;-)**

Yugi rolled his eyes as he typed his next text.

blackmage: **Fine. Just please hurry!**

"Unnnhhh!" Atem's moan made Yugi set his phone aside.

He looked to the flushed, feverish twin of his lying helplessly on the bed.

"Other Me?" he tried again, grasping the Pharaoh's left hand between his.

 _"Paiå... meriu..."_ was all Atem was able to get out as his head turned from side to side in his delirium.

 _'He's only speaking Ancient Egyptian. Must be because of the fever,'_ Yugi thought as he squeezed Atem's hand. _'How was he able to come back from the afterlife? This is just too crazy to be real!'_

 _"Āatchar!"_

The Pharaoh's tortured cry recalled Yugi sharply back to reality. There would be time to think and wonder about everything later. For now, the Egyptian needed looking after. The first thing to do was get him out of those soaked garments.

"Sorry, Other Me, but I'm going to have to take your clothes off so I can lower your fever," Yugi said as he disengaged his hand from the Pharaoh's.

Working carefully, Yugi unlocked the gold bands from the Pharaoh's arms and legs, and gently unclipped the earrings from his earlobes, laying them alongside the diadem.

With the jewelry removed, Yugi turned his attention to the rain soaked garments. It took several tries before Yugi was able to disengage Atem's purple cape from his other clothes, then work it out from underneath his body. As the white shenti was slowly peeled away, the lean, bronzed body of a god was revealed to Yugi's wide eyes. As his eyes roved over the planes and curves of the Pharaoh's body, Yugi noticed that his mouth had gone bone dry and he felt a strange warmth stirring deep within him.

 _"Meriu!"_ Atem suddenly cried out, hand reaching desperately for contact, which Yugi gave by grabbing and squeezing gently.

"It's OK, Other Me. You're safe here. I'll take care of you," he said softly. _'What is this feeling? Like how I used to feel when I thought about Anzu, but... more.'_

A loud knock at the door downstairs startled Yugi back to reality.

"I'll be right back," he spoke softly as he gave another gentle squeeze before setting the Pharaoh's hand back on the mattress.

Flashlight illuminating the way, Yugi flew downstairs and opened up the door to reveal Jou, looking for all the world like a bedraggled golden retriever, thanks to the rainwater dripping from his unruly shock of blond hair.

"Hey, Yuge!" he greeted with his easygoing smile, as if coming over to the game shop in the middle of a night rainstorm were a common practice.

"Thanks for coming, Jou," Yugi said with a tired smile as Jou stepped in and out of his shoes.

"Hey, da place don't feel haunted no more!" Jou exclaimed happily as he looked around. "So sailin' da lantern worked!"

"Seems like it," Yugi replied quietly.

"T'ank God. Dat was some crazy shit," said Jou. "So, uh, wat was it ya needed help wit'?"

These words caused Yugi to remember why he had called Jou out in the first place.

"Head up to the guest room while I lock up!" Yugi instructed.

"Uh, OK," said a mystified Jou, pausing to deposit the beer on the counter before heading upstairs.

After locking the door, Yugi charged upstairs to find Jou standing in the middle of the guestroom, staring incredulously at the bronze figure lying on the bed.

"Izzat da _Pharaoh?_! What da hell's _he_ doin' here?!" the blond yelped.

"Dying of a fever unless we help him," was Yugi's practical answer as he rounded the bed and grasped Atem's searching hand.

"Whyntcha call an ambulance?" asked Jou.

"I can't! He doesn't have any ID and you know how strict the government is about undocumented foreigners," said Yugi. "It's up to us..."

"Gotcha," said Jou, snapping into action. "I'll get some ice bags 'n Tylenol."

"Liquid only. I don't think he can swallow pills right now," advised Yugi.

"On it," said Jou.

When Jou returned with a large bucket full of ice bags and a plastic bottle of liquid Tylenol, he and Yugi set to work on Atem. Jou laid an ice bag on the Pharaoh's brow while Yugi put another one just under his chin. Two more were deposited under each arm.

Atem did not take kindly to the cold ice bags being laid against him, crying out and struggling to move away from the coldness. Jou gripped the powerful shoulders while Yugi gripped his thighs. Both men had to press hard to hold the feverish man still. Eventually, when the bags warmed a bit, the Pharaoh stopped struggling and they were able to let go for a bit.

The peace did not last though, as it was necessary to change each bag after the ice had melted too much. As soon as the spent bag was removed and replaced by a new, cold one, the entire thing would begin anew.

Atem proved to be a fractious patient, tossing, turning and crying out in ancient Ancient Egyptian. Several times, his limbs would swing out and nearly miss Yugi and Jou. Once, his right arm did connect with Jou's chest, sending the blond sprawling. Even in this depleted condition, Atem was as strong as a lion!

"Jou, are you OK?" asked Yugi over his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah," said Jou sarcastically as he pulled himself to his feet, gasping for breath.

"Sorry. He didn't do it on purpose," apologized Yugi.

"Yeah, I know..." muttered Jou as he clutched his chest.

"Easy there, Other Me. Me and Jou just wanna help you," Yugi spoke to the Pharaoh as he applied fresh ice packs before leaning over to immobilize him.

Atem's only response was to cry out in Ancient Egyptian.

 _"Hefat! Ash-t!"_

"Wadda hell's he sayin'?" asked Jou.

"I don't know! I don't speak Ancient Egyptian!" cried an exasperated Yugi.

"Well, excuuuuuuse me!" shouted an affronted Jou.

Yugi winced at the anger in his friend's tone.

"Sorry. I'm just worried," he apologized in a subdued voice.

"Well, yeah. I can see why ya would be," Jou conceded as he continued to press down on the Pharaoh's shoulders.

Falling silent, Yugi and Jou continued to pack the delirious Pharaoh in ice, changing the bags as it melted, all the while holding Atem immobile while he cried out in his ancient tongue. At last, the Egyptian seemed to exhaust himself, body going limp on the mattress. Seeing this, the two men gradually eased up on his body, glad for the chance to take a break.

"I need a way to talk to him in Ancient Egyptian until he wakes up," Yugi said.

"Heh! Dun' look'it me. I got enough trouble wit' Japanese," grinned Jou.

"I know. I know. I just wish there was something I could use to translate between the two languages," said Yugi.

"Bakura!" said Jou after a moment's thought.

"Bakura?" Yugi echoed, looking up at Jou.

"Yeah. His dad owns da museum! He might have sumthin' dat could help us!" said Jou, pulling out his phone. "Lemme send 'm a message."

"Please don't tell Bakura about my Other Self being back. I don't want people coming around and asking a lot of questions, at... at least not till he's better," Yugi implored quickly, looking at Jou with large, solemn eyes.

Jou paused and read the worry and sadness in Yugi's eyes.

"Gotcha," he said. "I'll just tell 'm we're learnin' Ancient Egyptian fer kicks."

Yugi looked down at the now still form of his Other, whose chest rose and fell with his ragged breathing.

"He's exhausted," Yugi said as he tenderly stroked the long blond bangs back from Atem's forehead.

"Strong as an _oni_ dough!" was Jou's rejoinder.

Just then, Jou's phone roared to life, blasting out a Church of Misery song.

"Shut that thing up!" yelped Yugi.

"Shit! Sorry!" said Jou, quickly opening up his phone.

Yugi checked Atem, but thankfully, the Egyptian had slept through the momentary break in the silence.

"Thank God..." he said softly.

"Good news! Bakura's got an Ancient Egyptian dictionary we kin borrow, if one of us kin git ovah to his flat 'n git it offa 'm," said Jou. "Ya want I should go?"

"Could you?" asked Yugi, looking up hopefully at his friend.

"Sure t'ing. You just look after yer Pharaoh till I git back," said Jou, turning for the exit.

"OK. Thanks for all your help," said Yugi with a tired smile.

"No sweat. It's kinda like an adventure," grinned Jou as he departed the room.

Moments later, Yugi heard the side door close and Jou's car start against the soft backdrop of the pelting rain. Alone in the house with the one who had once been his darker self, Yugi sighed and sat down at the bedside.

"Now that you've worn yourself out, let's get some Tylenol in you," he said as he poured the pink syrup from the bottle into a small plastic cup.

Cradling Atem's head in his right hand, Yugi held the small cup to the Egyptian's lips, then tilted it a bit so that the pink syrup trickled into his mouth. The Pharaoh made a face as the strong flavored medicine was poured in. Before he could spit it out, Yugi closed his mouth and tilted his head back, forcing him to swallow the syrup.

The poor Pharaoh coughed so forcefully, that for a moment, Yugi was afraid that he might be choking and rolled him onto his side. However, no liquid came up and after a moment, the coughing subsided and the Egyptian's labored breathing resumed. Heaving a sigh of relief, Yugi rolled his Other back over.

"Sorry about that, pal. I know that stuff tastes awful, but we have to get your temperature down," Yugi explained as he replaced all the ice bags, causing the Pharaoh's brow to furrow in displeasure. "I know. I know it hurts. Please, just bear with it for a while."

Finally finished with the unpleasant duty, Yugi picked up Atem's hand in his left hand, and with his right hand, began stroking it with slow, soft movements, even as he wished that he might be able to transfer some of his strength to the Pharaoh, as he had done in Memory World.

As he looked at the sleeping face of his Other, Yugi remembered back to the earliest days after his completion of the Puzzle, when the blackouts had started and bullies had started mysteriously disappearing or going insane. At the time, he had believed his Other to be nothing more than a darker aspect of his own personality, a mental defect brought on by all the bullying he had endured throughout his school career.

He remembered a few times when he had been so disturbed by his "Other Self," that he had almost torn the Puzzle from around his neck and smashed it against the wall. Yet something had always stayed his hand.

Their whole relationship had been one of gradual unrolling and discovery. During all that time, the two souls had grown closer and closer, passing friendship and even brotherhood to enter into some kind of relationship that Yugi wasn't even sure there was a word for in any human tongue. Soulmates, perhaps? But even that didn't go far enough.

"How did you go from being a mental defect to someone I love so much that it hurts?" Yugi mused as he stroked his Other's hand, voice thick with emotion. "When you walked into that light, it felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I'm not sure how you got back here, but I know one thing: I'm never letting you go again. You protected me when I was small and weak, so I'll protect you this time around. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you or take you away from me again. I swear."

The screech of tires outside told Yugi that his solitude with Atem was about to come to an end. Gently setting the sleeping Egyptian's hand down on the mattress, Yugi looked tenderly down at him.

"I'll be right back, OK?" he said softly as he laid a hand on the Pharaoh's shoulder and gave a squeeze.

Atem responded by taking a deep breath and leaning toward the touch, which made Yugi smile sadly. With a final squeeze on his Other's shoulder, he made his way out to the hallway to intercept Jou.

Within seconds, Yugi heard the side door slam shut, then saw the blond come tearing toward the staircase, brown wrapped book tucked under his arm. Yugi held his forefinger over his mouth in a gesture to silence the blond. Jou at once moved with a lighter step.

"He still sleepin'?" Jou asked as he reached Yugi.

"Yeah. Hopefully for a while," said Yugi, eyes turning to the brown package under Jou's arm.

"Oh, yeah! I got just wutcha need!" grinned Jou, handing the package to Yugi, which he opened.

After they had walked back into the room and Yugi was seated in the chair at the bedside, he began perusing the book.

"Ancient Egyptian to Japanese dictionary," he read the cover.

"Bakura said we kin keep it as long as we need," Jou answered.

With Jou looking half-heartedly over his shoulder, Yugi flipped through the book, looking for anything he could use as a greeting.

"Yuge, if ya t'ink ya can manage from here, I'ma go crash downstairs," Jou said with a yawn as he stood up.

"Huh?" said Yugi as he looked up at his friend. "Oh, yeah. Thanks for going out in this weather, man. There's an extra blanket in my room you can take if you want it."

"Da one wit' da lil trains..." said Jou with a wince.

"Well, it's not like anyone'll see," said Yugi with an indulgent smile.

With a grunt, Jou left the room to get the train blanket, then retreated downstairs. Yugi turned his attention back to the dictionary. He began to flip through the pages. He never noticed when the fog of sleep crept over him, causing him to fall asleep in the chair, the book still open on his lap.

 _Suiyobi, Wednesday, July 17, 2002_

The sound of lightly tapping raindrops pierced the veil of sleep, pulling Yugi to wakefulness. He yawned and stretched out, upsetting the dictionary from his lap as he did so and sending the book to the wooden floor with a soft thump.

 _'Hm?'_ Yugi thought as he leaned down and picked the book up _. 'Oh, yeah. I was studying Ancient Egyptian...'_

Yugi looked over at the figure on the bed next to him. Atem still lay on his back, limbs spread out upon the mattress, head lolled to the right, chest rising and falling in thready but steady breaths.

Grasping the thermometer, Yugi again checked Atem's temperature: 101°. Still too high. A glance over to the bucket showed no more ice bags.

 _'Gotta get more ice,'_ he thought as he grabbed the bucket and quickly left the room.

Yugi made his way downstairs, pausing at the entrance to the livingroom to glance at the couch. There, sprawled out with two empty beer cans on the floor beside him, was Jou, snoring like a buzz saw.

 _'Always so laid back,'_ Yugi thought with a smile and shake of his head before he went for more ice bags.

Ice bags in the bucket, Yugi was making his way back up the stairs.

 _"_ _Åbt_ _!"_

A wrathful shout from the guestroom caused Yugi to speed up his steps.

 _'Other Me is awake!'_ he thought, hope dawning in his heart.

Yugi ran into the room and quickly set the bucket down before looking at the bed. Atem was leaning against the head of the bed, crimson eyes wide open.

"Oth..."

The words died on Yugi's lips as his momentary hope was dashed when he saw that the Pharaoh's eyes, though open, were unfocused and still bright with fever.

 _'He's delirious,'_ Yugi thought, heart sinking in his chest.

Suddenly, Atem's fevered gaze snapped forward and locked onto his own. Yugi was completely frozen in that gaze, as a bird trapped in a cobra's.

 _"Åbt_ _!"_ the Pharaoh repeated, as though calling a dog.

 _'Åbt_ _? What's that mean?'_ Yugi thought, quickly rounding the bed and scooping the book off the chair.

 _'He thinks I'm a slave?'_ Yugi thought, hurt lancing through his heart for a moment before he tamped it down. _'He doesn't recognize you. Probably best to play along for now.'_

Moving quickly, so as not to agitate the delusional Egyptian, Yugi thumbed through the pages and found some words to use in response.

(("Yes, Great Pharaoh? How may this slave serve you?")) he asked, pronouncing each word slowly and carefully.

(("I am cold. You will cover me with that blanket!")) the Pharaoh demanded, pointing to the blanket that Yugi had stripped from the bed last night, which was now lying on a shelf against the wall.

(("Forgive me, Great Pharaoh, but I cannot obey your command right now,")) Yugi spoke carefully, eyes dashing over the pages.

(("What do you mean you cannot obey my command?!")) the Pharaoh shouted, deep voice bouncing off the walls.

In that moment, Yugi could see why so many had been in awe of Atem, both as an ancient Pharaoh and when dueling him in the modern era. His aura was nothing if not intimidating when he was angered, which he was bordering on right now. However, Yugi had a will and strength of his own and knew he couldn't afford to let himself be intimidated by Atem right now.

(("Forgive me, my Pharaoh, but I must care for your health and right now, that means no blanket!")) Yugi returned.

(("I am cold! You will cover me!")) the Pharaoh barked, nothing daunted.

(("You may _feel_ cold, but you're boiling hot,")) Yugi countered, voice rising an octave.

(("You dare?!")) roared the Pharaoh, crimson eyes blazing with indignation and fever.

Feeling fatigued just from a few minutes of arguing with his delusional Other, Yugi stood up straight and met the fevered gaze head-on.

(("Yes, Great Pharaoh! If it's to save your life, I do!"))

Fever bright eyes blinked, then surprisingly, the Pharaoh looked away and lay down quietly.

 _'Sorry, pal'_ Yugi thought sadly as he approached the bed and began applying more ice bags.

Through the rest of the treatment, Atem shivered and cried out, but offered no more protest. Yugi stayed at his Other's bedside until the crimson eyes were again covered by heavy, bruised eyelids and the Pharaoh's breathing evened out somewhat in sleep. At length, Yugi pressed the digital thermometer against Atem's temple, where it showed a temperature of 100°. Acceptable, for the time being.

Heart heavy in his chest, Yugi retreated to his room to dress for the day, then headed downstairs to wake Jou up and see about breakfast for both of them. He knew he would also have to try to make Atem take some water, and get some more Tylenol into him.

 _'Later. I just need to... stop for a while,'_ Yugi thought as he approached the couch with the still sleeping blond on it.

"Jou," Yugi said, touching Jou's shoulder and shaking the blond.

"Eh... Five more minutes..." Jou slurred.

With a tired smile, Yugi knelt down so he could whisper in Jou's ear.

"Kaiba Seto is waiting for his good morning kiss..." he whispered, then sat back. "3... 2... 1..."

"AH! WHAT DA HELL?!" yelped Jou as his eyes popped open and he leapt ten feet into the air.

"Morning, Jou," Yugi said with a bright smile.

"Yugi... Neva. Do. Dat. Again!" Jou ground out, glaring daggers at his friend.

"Never do what?" Yugi asked innocently.

For a moment, Jou looked words not lawful to be uttered. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"There's Doritos for breakfast," announced Yugi through a yawn.

"Heh. So I noticed," said Jou. "I'ma go git us some takeout. Shouldn't take moren' half 'n hour."

"Huh? Well, if you want to," said Yugi with a shrug.

"See ya when I git back," said Jou as he shut the door and went for his car.

To pass the time, sat on the couch and looked out the window at the gray sky and landscape. Raindrops continued to fall unabated from fat, iron gray clouds, soaking everything they came in contact with.

 _'Will the sun ever come out?'_

Finally, he heard the screech of tires as the car pulled back up. Moments later, Jou was through the door.

"I'm back!"

"OK..."

"I got us some Korean takeout fer breakfast. I dun t'ink ya'v eva had dat," Jou said.

"No. Let's see what it's like," responded Yugi, feeling somewhat adventurous.

He and Jou sat at the table together and folded their hands.

"Thanks for the food!"

They then picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Yugi's eyes lit when the _haejang guk_ hit his tongue. It was quite good. Who would have guessed Korean takeout could be so tasty?

"Wow! This stuff's great!" exclaimed Yugi as he shoveled the soup in.

"Tastes good and it's a damn sight betta'n Doritos fer breakfast," teased Jou.

"Yeah, yeah," replied Yugi with a roll of his eyes.

The two ate in silence for several minutes more, shoveling the soup in with their chopsticks before attacking the _buldak_.

"So, how's he doin'?" Jou asked with a glance at the staircase.

The smile left Yugi's face and he looked down at his spicy chicken.

"Delirious. He was awake earlier, but he thought I was a slave in Ancient Egypt," he explained at length.

Jou whistled in amazement.

"Look, Yuge, if he ain't no betta by t'night, you really oughta call an ambulance. If anythin' comes up wit' da government, I could prolly get Kaiba to help us out," he offered.

"You think he would?" asked a dubious Yugi.

"Yeah, I t'ink so. I've upgraded Kaiba from 'bastard' to 'asshole.' I t'ink if we explained ever'thing to him, he'd help," reassured Jou.

Yugi looked into the serious brown eyes, then down. He knew Jou was right. A high fever alone could kill a person, and neither of them was a doctor.

"OK..." he acceded.

Jou and Yugi continued their Korean breakfast with no further words.

 _That afternoon..._

 _"Åbt..."_

Yugi looked up from his dictionary to see those fever-bright eyes staring at him. At once, he was looking up the word he had just heard spoken.

"So, you're thirsty," he said to himself. (("Yes, Great Pharaoh. This slave will bring you drink right away."))

Yugi beat a hasty retreat to the bathroom, where he poured some Tylenol into the plastic cup, then quickly filled another cup with cool water. When he returned, he found that feverish gaze fixed expectantly on him.

(("Before the Great Pharaoh partakes of the water, this humble slave entreats him to drink this elixir. It will cure your ailment,")) Yugi spoke as he held the small cup full of pink liquid in his hand.

(("Are you my healer?")) the Pharaoh asked, eying Yugi warily.

(("Yes. I am here to attend to you until you are well,")) Yugi spoke in his most authoritative voice. _'Please let him buy this...'_

The Pharaoh appeared to consider, then glanced back up at Yugi.

(("Very well. Any tricks and I shall banish you to the shadows personally!")) the monarch growled.

(("No tricks, Great Pharaoh; just medicine,")) said Yugi as he moved to the bedside and held the cup of pink liquid to his Pharaoh's lips.

Atem downed the Tylenol in one swallow and made a such a face at the taste that Yugi had to bite back his laughter.

(("Elixir most foul!")) the Pharaoh pronounced.

(("But a most effective one,")) Yugi countered. (("Here is your water, O Son of the Gods."))

Yugi held the cup to the poor Pharaoh's cracked lips. The fevered man began gulping the liquid down greedily, some of it splashing onto his chest. When he could take no more, Atem turned his face away. Yugi helped him to lie back down and replaced the partially used ice bags, much to the shivering Pharaoh's discomfort.

During that long day, during which Jou took care of anything that needed to be done downstairs, Yugi could only watch helplessly as Atem thrashed about in bed and called for people seen and heard only by himself. Yugi's heart thumped achingly in his chest as he listened to a feverish Pharaoh cry out the names of long dead people that only he remembered.

"Mahaad, your death shall not be in vain."

 _'Mahaad,'_ Yugi thought sadly. _'Your loyalist servant, the high priest who sacrificed himself to become the Black Magician. You went through so much tragedy and ended up dying when you were only 16. Even if we set things right in Memory World, that was just a retread. It doesn't change what really happened to you...'_

Breath hitching in his chest, Yugi took Atem's hand in his own, interlacing their fingers and squeezing gently.

 _'You've suffered enough. Just rest and let me take care of you, my beautiful pharaoh,'_ Yugi thought as he squeezed Atem's hand.

The squeezing seemed to lull the Pharaoh out of the hell he found himself trapped in. His facial features relaxed and his breathing evened out somewhat, though remained labored. With one hand gripping Atem's, Yugi continued his perusal of the dictionary.

Several times throughout the day, Jou would peek in to see how they were doing, but Yugi always responded with a sad shake of his head. Jou would send a sympathetic gaze his way before retreating downstairs.

As Ra continued his slow, tortuous journey across the heavens behind the curtain of clouds and rain, Yugi stayed with Atem, convinced he was dying. He had had his old friend back for less than 24 hours and seemed on the verge of losing him again.

Atem's fever broke long after darkness had descended. Yugi heard the ancient one's breathing gradually grow deep and even. Not daring to hope, he pressed the digital thermometer against his Other's temple. After a few seconds, it emitted its soft beep and Yugi checked it: 98.6°, normal temperature.

 _'Thank God,'_ Yugi thought as tears of relief flooded past his eyes.

There was no time to be idle however. Now that Atem's fever had broken, it was important to keep his body temperature stable. Yugi set to work at once, removing the ice bags from the Egyptian's body. This done, he replaced the blanket, pulling it up to the Pharaoh's chin. Yugi regarded the sleeping figure before him, gently brushing back long golden bangs.

 _'There we go. You'll be OK now.'_

Now that the fever had broken and his Other was covered, Yugi felt like he could dare to be the slightest bit selfish.

 _'I just gotta... sleep...'_ he thought as he blundered to his room.

When he reached his bed, Yugi collapsed onto it face first, not even bothering to change clothes.


	7. Good to See You

_Mokuyobi, Thursday, July 18, 2002  
Morning_

 _Scorching winds, blowing sands from the tops of dunes, the white-hot sun glaring down from the vault of blue sky. Palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. The fresh, cool water of the Nile. The tall points of the Pyramids, reaching for eternity._

 _Shimon approaching with a solemn face._

 _Cold, bright…_

 _Flashes of Yugi, Jou and Bakura._

 _The rending of a veil._

 _"I don't want you here! Get out of my shop! Get out of my life!"_

Those words lanced through Atem's heart, causing his handsome features to contort as a heartbroken cry started to build and build in his throat.

* * *

 _The brilliant, white light of the afterlife flooded the dark stone room. Yugi had to squint to make out the spiky haired form standing before him. A hand reached out and gently cupped his cheek, thumb stroking the skin._

 _"My Partner, my friends, thank you."_

 _The hand slipped from his face, the form turning and walking away from him into the light. Yugi reached out after him, but his Other was already too far away. Black leather pants and tank top melted away to be replaced by the white shenti of Ancient Egypt as Other Yugi morphed back into Pharaoh Atem and faded into the waiting light._

 _"Other Me! Don't go!"_

 _The stone door slid shut, cutting off the light and plunging Yugi into darkness._

"No!" Yugi sat bolt upright and, with a trembling hand, reached up and brushed the noisome moisture from his cheeks.

 _"No!"_

Yugi looked toward his door at the cry coming from across the hall.

 _'Other Me!'_ he thought, jumping up and running for his door.

Yugi leapt across the hall and threw open the guestroom door, to find Atem writhing about on the bed, brow furrowed in distress as tears spilled from his tightly closed eyes.

"Partner… why have you forsaken me?" he sobbed.

Yugi rushed right over to the bed and gripped his Other's shoulders.

"Other Me! Wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Yugi cried.

Yugi's words and actions had no effect on Atem, who kept trembling and sobbing.

"Other Me!" Yugi tried again.

Still no change.

Getting desperate, Yugi took a deep breath.

 **"Atem!"** he yelled sharply, giving Atem a rather rough shake in a bid to snap the Pharaoh out of his personal hell.

At the call of his ancient name, the Pharaoh's eyes snapped open, crimson locking with violet. Yugi knelt at the bedside and pulled Atem's trembling form to his chest, feeling hot tears soaking through the fabric of his t-shirt, even as Atem tried to swallow the sobs that wracked his body.

"Ssshhhhh, Oth… Atem. It's OK. You were having a nightmare," Yugi murmured into Atem's ear as he gently rubbed the small of his Other's back in a bid to soothe him. "I'd never reject you. Not in a million years."

After a bit, Atem's body stopped trembling and his breathing gradually evened out. Yugi continued to hold him close and whisper to him while rubbing his back.

"I'll always be your partner. I'll never turn you away," he chanted over and over again into Atem's ear, willing his words to ease his Other's pain.

Finally, Atem had calmed down enough to pull away a bit, tear bright eyes seeking Yugi's out. Smiling gently at his still fragile Other, Yugi helped him to lie back down.

 _'Oh, my beautiful pharaoh, tears don't suit you at all,'_ Yugi thought sadly as he gently caressed Atem's cheek, noting how Atem leaned into his touch as he did so.

"Please, Oth… Atem, tell me what happened in the dream so I can help you," Yugi implored as he continued to caress Atem's face. "Will you tell me?"

"'Get out… of my shop. Get out… of my life,'" Atem choked out, raw pain oozing from his bloodshot eyes as he never once removed his gaze from Yugi's face.

At these words, Yugi's blood ran cold as his hand stopped stroking Atem's cheek for a full second.

"Oh, gods…" he whispered, eyes widening, face going as white as a sheet. "I didn't know…"

He lifted his horrified gaze to meet with Atem's pained one, hand falling away from Atem's face.

"Oh, Atem. I'm s-so sorry," was all he managed to get out before a wave of sobs engulfed him. "I didn't know. Oh, gods. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Atem grasped Yugi's hand and weakly squeezed it, the touch sending shocks through Yugi's system.

With his free hand, Yugi gently wiped the tear tracks from Atem's cheeks, even as he felt tears coursing down his own cheeks. He closed his eyes as he felt long fingers shakily wipe the salty moisture from his cheeks. When both their faces were dry, the Pharaoh's face blossomed with a beautiful smile for Yugi and no other, ruby irises seeming to glow.

"So good… to see… your face," Atem's voice was barely above a whisper as he struggled to speak each word.

Yugi felt his own smile brighten his features as well.

"It's so good to hear your voice," he returned in a trembling voice. "I swear I'll always be your partner. Believe me?"

Still smiling, Atem closed his eyes and nodded.

Yugi closed his eyes and leaned forward until his brow touched Atem's. The two tricolors stayed thus for several minutes, neither speaking, both simply drawing comfort from each other's presence.

"Try to go back to sleep for a while. It's still early," Yugi said softly at length.

At this, Atem scooted back and patted the spot on the bed next to him. Yugi hesitated for a fraction of a second before climbing in and snuggling up to his Pharaoh. He turned to speak to Atem, but found him already asleep, completely worn out.

 _'Sleep well, Atem,'_ Yugi thought as he planted a soft kiss on his Other's brow, then closed his eyes and let sleep take him as well.

* * *

 _Somewhat later…_

Yugi pried his eyelids open with great effort and glanced out the window to the left. Still raining.

 _'Ugh!'_

Slight movement to the right caused him to turn his head and see a pair of dark rubies staring intently at him. Yugi took a deep breath and smiled at Atem.

"Good morning, my pharaoh," he said.

Atem only smiled, apparently still too out of it to do much of anything else.

 _'That's OK. I'll build your strength back up,'_ Yugi thought.

The most practical way to do this of course, was to get some food into Atem, who had eaten nothing since his mysterious return two nights ago.

"A-are you hungry? Can you eat?" Yugi asked, to which Atem promptly smiled again.

"OK. I'll be right back," Yugi said before rolling out of bed and bolting for the door.

After stopping to change in his room, Yugi went tearing downstairs and saw that Jou was just stirring on the couch, blond hair ruffled every which way from having spent the night tossing and turning.

"Morning, Jou," Yugi said.

"Hey, Yuge. Damn storm! Couldn't sleep wort' shit last night. Every time I started to drop off, lightnin' 'n ' t'unda woke me back up!" groused Jou.

"Aw, sorry about that, Jou," sympathized Yugi. "I didn't sleep so good last night either."

"Speakin' a sleep, how _is_ he?" Jou asked.

"He's awake!" Yugi announced in a quiet voice, as if afraid the fates would hear his joy and take the Pharaoh away from him again.

"No shit?!"

Yugi nodded.

"Dude! Dat's awesome!" cried Jou.

"Yeah," agreed Yugi with the first full smile Jou had seen in days. "He's pretty weak though. I gotta take him some food."

When Jou saw Yugi going for the chips and pop, he put a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. Yugi looked up at him in confusion.

"Da dude almost died a fever jus' 48 hours ago. I dun t'ink chips 'n pop'r gonna help 'm git bettah. Give'm some a last night's takeout. I'd say nuke it, but da powa's still out," Jou suggested.

"OK…" conceded Yugi.

Yugi hurried upstairs, carrying the Korean takeout on a tray, not wanting to leave his Other alone any longer than necessary. Upon entering the room, Yugi found Atem staring expectantly at the doorway, eyes as large and dark as rubies.

"Breakfast is served, my Pharaoh," Yugi announced. "Don't worry about if it's edible or not. It's takeout."

Moving slowly so as not to spill anything, Yugi sat down by the bed and picked up the chopsticks. Slowly and steadily, Yugi fed Atem the spicy chicken from last night's meal. The process of feeding Atem was slow and laborious as Atem barely had enough strength to even chew the chicken. Eventually though, the chicken was gone and Yugi breathed a sigh of relief.

With a full stomach, Atem's eyelids grew heavy and began to droop. What little energy the Pharaoh had possessed had been depleted by the effort it took to eat. After moving the tray from the bed, Yugi adjusted his Other so he was lying down.

Cracking open an eye, Atem reached up and grasped Yugi's hand, causing the younger man to look down at him. A smile spread across the Pharaoh's bronzed features, causing Yugi's eyes to light up and his heart to flutter in his chest at the tender gaze directed at him.

The Pharaoh's eyelids fell shut and his grip slackened. Yugi lowered Atem's hand to the mattress and watched as the Pharaoh's head lolled to the side. Peeling back the blanket, Yugi laid his hand on Atem's stomach and began moving it in slow circles over his navel. This caused Atem's eyes to flutter open for just a second, but they closed again as Atem heaved a contented sigh and relaxed totally under Yugi's soothing touch.

Atem felt himself sinking back into the heaviness of sleep as everything grew distant.

Yugi continued rubbing until he heard Atem's breathing deepen and even out. He then gradually let up and covered Atem with the blanket before clearing the tray from the room.

"He 'sleep?" Jou asked when Yugi came back down.

"Yeah. Probably for a while. Eating seemed to wipe him out," Yugi answered.

"Eh. Poor guy's been through Hell'n back," said Jou. "Well, we'll git'm back on his feet.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed as he set the tray in the sink.

Yugi and Jou settled into playing Duel Monsters. For two hours, in the gray daylight, they matched wits, pitting their best cards and strategies against each other. As always, Yugi beat Jou handily, but had to admit that the blond was continuing to make great strides.

"Think I'ma curl up 'n take a nap myself," Jou said at length. "Dis weatha just makes ya wanna sleep."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll do the same thing. See you in a while," agreed Yugi.

"Yep," said Jou as he stretched out on the couch.

In his room, Yugi stretched out on his bed and grabbed a manga he was currently reading, about a young boy who could fuse his being with the ghost of a samurai. However, no matter how much he tried to concentrate on the manga, his eyes kept drifting over to the guestroom door, visible through his ajar door. Finally, he gave up and left his room.

Yugi entered the guestroom and approached the bed, on which Atem lay, fast asleep. Moving slowly, Yugi climbed onto the bed and snuggled under the cover. Once he was comfortable, he picked up reading where he had left off.

Presently, Yugi heard Atem's breathing switch from sleep to waking mode and looked over in time to see ruby irises peeking out from under heavy lids. When Atem saw Yugi, he blinked curiously.

"Wanna read this manga with me?" Yugi asked softly, getting a faint smile in response.

While doing his best vocal impressions, Yugi held up the book so Atem could see it without straining while Atem looked with interest at all the pictures and smiled faintly at the funny bits as Yugi narrated, such as the main character getting knocked around by the girl he was engaged to.

* * *

 _That afternoon…_

Atem looked over to the right as Yugi came in, carrying two basins, which he set down at the side of the bed. Folded over his arms were two large towels and several smaller cloths. An eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"May this humble servant bathe the great Pharaoh?" Yugi asked, irises twinkling.

An amused smile passed over Atem's features. If anyone else would have suggested such a thing, they would have been on the receiving end of a tongue lashing from Hell. However, the idea of Yugi touching him intimately was actually rather agreeable.

"OK. I'm gonna put these big towels under you. Roll over for me," Yugi asked.

With Atem lying on his side, Yugi placed the towels on the mattress underneath him. When the towels were in place, he rolled onto his back again.

"I'm gonna wash your face first, OK?" Yugi explained, holding up the cloth.

With a nod, Atem put his head back and closed his eyes.

Yugi dipped the cloth in the warm water and wrung it out.

"Here we go," he said, by way of warning Atem.

Yugi touched the cloth to Atem's right temple and began gently working it in small circles, working his way down Atem's jawline slowly. As he worked his way along Atem's jaw, he watched his Other for any signs of discomfort. The Egyptian didn't move or even crack an eye open as Yugi worked his way up to his right temple.

Yugi sponged off both of Atem's cheeks and nose, then moved up, wiping slowly from the bridge of Atem's nose out toward his ears over each eyelid, then returning to small circles on the Pharaoh's brow.

Finally, both ears were bent forward and slowly scrubbed from behind.

During the entire procedure, Atem lay in a light doze, enjoying the warm water and Yugi's soft touch. Even when his forehead was being rubbed, he didn't even twitch a muscle, which was unusual, as Atem generally bristled at having his forehead touched.

After patting Atem's face dry, Yugi dipped the cloth in the basin again, then lathered it up with soap. He ran the warm, soapy wash cloth in slow circles over Atem's neck and chin, watching as some of the water ran in thin, white rivulets down Atem's neck and soaked into the towel beneath him.

After rinsing the soapy water from Atem's neck, Yugi picked up the shampoo bottle.

"Is it OK if I wash your hair?" he asked.

At Atem's smile, Yugi helped him to sit up and placed a hair washing basin, with a recess for the neck, under him so that he was lying with his head tilted back into the basin. Yugi poured warm water over Atem's hair until it hung down straight into the water below.

After squeezing some shampoo into his hand, Yugi began lathering it into long black and crimson locks and golden bangs. As always, he watched Atem's face, but saw no signs of distress. If anything, Atem seemed to be enjoying this, almost looking to be asleep. Finished with Atem's hair, Yugi poured warm water over it several times until the water in the basin ran white with the rinsed out shampoo and conditioner.

Lifting Atem's right arm, Yugi began rubbing the cloth between the Pharaoh's fingers. Moving in his slow circles, Yugi moved steadily up Atem's arm. Using a firm touch, he washed under Atem's arm and over his shoulder. Finished soaping, he gave Atem's right hand a gentle squeeze, which was promptly reciprocated.

Yugi repeated on his left, also giving that hand a squeeze.

Yugi folded the blanket further down, exposing the Pharaoh's muscular torso to his eyes. As he gazed at the planes and angles of Atem's chest and abdomen, he felt his mouth go dry.

 _'He's gorgeous,'_ he thought.

At the snort, Yugi looked down into a pair of twinkling rubies eyes and the amused smile that made feelings of warmth explode in his inner core. Returning the smile briefly, Yugi went to work on the Pharaoh's chest, gently spreading the soapy water over it, moving down over his stomach in slow, soothing circles.

Yugi wrung out the rinsing cloth and slowly and sensually wiped the soap away from Atem's skin. All while he worked, he maintained eye contact with the Pharaoh, who continued to smile warmly at him.

Yugi slowly and gently sponged Atem's thighs, moving in small circles, lifting the Pharaoh's leg to get the underside, then moving down to caress those wiry calves. When he reached Atem's feet, he wiped slowly from heel to toe on the tops first, before switching to the soles. The spaces between the toes were wiped as well. Yugi felt the odd desire to want to take Atem's big toe into his mouth and give suck, but quickly suppressed it.

 _'Not while he's still recovering, idiot!'_ he sternly reprimanded himself.

After rinsing Atem's legs, Yugi patted them dry, then covered them back up.

"Roll over on your side, please," he asked.

With a partial smile, Atem rolled over so his back was to Yugi. Yugi dipped and wrung the soapy cloth, then began carefully soaping Atem's shoulders, working his way steadily down his Other's spine.

As he worked, he thought he heard Atem utter a sigh of contentment. Determined to make this experience as enjoyable as possible, Yugi took a bit longer than actually necessary as he ran the warm, wet cloth over Atem's sleek back.

Yugi gently rinsed Atem's back off, patted him dry and covered him up again. When he came to the other side of the bed, he saw that Atem's eyes were shut and his face was relaxed and peaceful in sleep. Yugi stroked Atem's hand for a minute before picking up the bathing supplies and silently exiting the room.

* * *

 _Kinyobi, Friday, July 19, 2002_

Yugi's eyes opened and looked out the window only to see the ever present clouds and rain pouring from them, tapping against the glass and sliding down.

 _'The sun'll come out someday, won't it?'_ he thought sourly.

Yugi left his room and crossed the hall to the guestroom. Though his eyes couldn't make out much in the near darkness, the sound of Atem's deep breathing filled the room.

 _'Sounds like he's doing OK,'_ Yugi thought with a small smile as he closed the door and headed downstairs.

Upon arriving downstairs, Yugi found Jou looking through the fridge, whose light was back on.

"The power's back on!" he cried out happily, only remembering to keep his voice low at the last second.

"Yeah. Fer 'bout 'n hour now," said Jou. "How's he doin'?"

Yugi smiled, touched by Jou's concern for Atem.

"Sleeping," he answered simply.

"OK, I got some shit t'do 'round town. I'll git us s'more takeout while I'm out. Be back in a couple hours," said Jou, going for his coat and keys.

"OK. See you when you get back," said Yugi.

With Jou out and Atem still asleep, Yugi found himself with nothing much to do. In an attempt to relieve his boredom, he plopped down on the couch, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

 _'Back to the 21st century. Thank God!'_

Keeping the volume down so he could hear if Atem needed anything, Yugi watched a morning talk show, documenting the ongoing storm and regional damage. Just then, he heard the sound of the bed creaking from the floor above. Abandoning the TV, Yugi ran upstairs, down the hall and opened the door, just in time to see Atem stirring.

When he heard the door open, Atem looked over at Yugi, a smile spreading across his features.

"Hi. Um, how're you feeling?" Yugi asked as he entered the room.

"Much, much better. Thank you for the care while I was ill," Atem purred with a slight accent as he extended a hand toward Yugi.

A now crimson cheeked Yugi climbed onto the bed and took the proffered hand in his own and squeezed. The whole thing felt so good, yet so awkward and strange.

"You're welcome," he managed to squeak out.

"You're a finer healer than any I had in Kemet," Atem said, squeezing Yugi's hand back before drawing it to his lips and planting a soft kiss on the knuckles, eyes never leaving Yugi's face.

The two young men stayed thus for a while, gazing into each other's eyes while their hands explored each other's features, tracing the jaw line, the slope of the nose and gently caressing each other's cheeks.

Yugi felt that warm, fluttering feeling becoming more and more intense with each passing moment, that strange warmth stirring in his core.

 _'Do I feel the same way for Atem that I've felt for Anzu?'_ Yugi thought, shifting uncomfortably on the mattress.

"Yugi, would you mind fetching my old deck?" Atem asked suddenly.

"Yeah. You wanna duel?" Yugi returned, relief at the distraction flooding over him.

Now that there was nothing riding on the outcome of a duel between them, except perhaps someone's hurt pride, it would be fun to duel with Atem.

"I would like that very much," answered Atem.

Yugi hurried to his room and retrieved both their decks.

When he returned, they both went through their decks, making certain all their cards were accounted for. Yugi pulled out his old faithful Black Magician card and caressed it. Then they began.

Yugi and Atem spent the next two hours locked in combat. Victories and losses were traded evenly between them, never with more than 200 life points difference.

"Wow! That was awesome! We're still so close!" Yugi exclaimed as he stowed his cards, only to still when he felt Atem's hand atop his.

"In every way," Atem's deep voice purred as Yugi looked up into a pair of smouldering flames.

"Uh, yeah," Yugi said with awkward cheerfulness. "Hey, how about we finish up that manga we were looking at yesterday?"

At Atem's nod, Yugi took his deck and flew back to his room again to retrieve his manga. Soon the two were sitting and looking at the manga about the boy and samurai ghost's adventures. Yugi did the boy's voice and now that Atem was more alert, he provided the voice of the samurai ghost.

At length, the Pharaoh began to shift about, seemingly unable to find a comfortable position. This caused Yugi to look over at him, face weighted with concern for his Other's well being.

 _'He's been in bed for two days. He's probably getting sore,'_ Yugi thought to himself as he laid the manga aside.

"Hey, Atem. How about a back rub?" he offered.

Atem's only response was a sultry smile before rolling over onto his stomach.

"Be right back with the oil," said Yugi, giving Atem's shoulder a squeeze as he stood up.

After returning with the oil, Yugi peeled the blanket back to expose the Pharaoh's entire back for his ministrations. Atem's back, like the rest of his body, was all lean muscle residing under that beautiful burnished skin that Yugi found he couldn't look away from.

 _'He is so gorgeous!'_

After pouring some oil into his left hand, Yugi went to work on the strong, bronze shoulders, fingers kneading and stretching the muscles that rippled beneath.

"Mmmmm…" Atem moaned from deep in the back of his throat, body shifting as Yugi's nimble fingers scattered his thoughts to the wind.

Yugi smiled tenderly down at his Pharaoh as he worked a particularly noisome knot from the small of Atem's back.

Atem's eyes closed in blissful relief upon feeling his muscles loosen up.

"Unnnnhhh…"

Yugi continued his work for several minutes in silence, hands moving slowly and steadily over Atem's shoulder blades, spreading the warm oil to work all the tension and distress from lean muscles.

"Yugi, those hands… so skilled," the Pharaoh groaned appreciatively.

Yugi's cheeks flushed a lovely incarnadine as a bright smile broke out on his countenance at these words. As his fingers moved in slow centripetal motions, he felt the muscles in Atem's shoulders unlock as the tension was pushed from them.

"Ooooh, Raaaaaa…"

Yugi worked his way slowly down Atem's spine, gliding over smooth skin, stopping to push and knead any stress nodules he came across. These he worked on until the muscles relaxed under his touch.

Yugi continued the massage until Atem's back glistened with the warm oil and the Pharaoh's muscles felt like putty under his hands. Lightening his touch gradually so as not to disturb his Other, Yugi stood up, pulling the blanket up to Atem's shoulders so the Egyptian could sleep.

Just after making his way downstairs, Yugi heard the screech of tires and the engine being cut off. Moments later, the side door opened.

"I got some Chinese 'n Mexican. Figured a lil international cuisine might be just da t'ing to git Temu goin' again," said Jou.

Yugi winced at Jou's chosen nickname for his Other, but refrained from commenting.

"So, ya want Mexican or Chinese?" Jou grinned.

"What the hell? I'll try Mexican," said Yugi with a shrug.

"Olé," grinned Jou as he spread out some of the Mexican food on the table, then going to refrigerate the Chinese.

As the two ate, Jou's eyes looked upstairs.

"Any chance a seein'm today?" Jou asked.

"I don't see why not. He's doing a lot better now. I'll just ask him when he wakes up," said Yugi with a bright smile.

"Maybe we could bring in da portable. He'll prolly be bored outta his skull t'day when he wakes up," suggested Jou.

"Yeah! That's a great idea," exclaimed Yugi.

After eating, Yugi and Jou spent the next few hours on the couch watching TV. Every ten minutes, Yugi would leave the couch and go to the base of the staircase to listen for any sound from the guestroom.

Finally, two long samurai films later, Yugi went to the bottom of the staircase and did indeed hear movement from the guestroom. He flew up the stairs and opened the door to see Atem stretching out, having just awoken from a long sleep.

"Hi," Yugi called in a dropped voice to his Other.

"Hey, Partner," Atem said, lips turning up in a smile upon seeing Yugi, which caused the by now familiar incarnadine hue to tinge Yugi's cheeks again.

"Um, are you hungry?" Yugi said, in a bid to change the subject so his cheeks would stop shining like apples.

"Very," was Atem's succinct answer.

"Chinese or Mexican?"

"Chinese."

"Be right back."

Yugi scampered downstairs to grab some Chinese food for his Other.

Yugi sat on the chair and watched as Atem fed himself for the first time since his return from the afterlife. His handling of the chopsticks was a bit awkward for the first few bites, but muscle memory quickly prevailed and soon he was eating as if he were a native of Japan.

"Say, would it be alright if Jou came up? He's been helping me take care of you for the past two days," Yugi asked at length.

"Jou's here? Yes! I'd love to see him!" Atem exclaimed before biting into a wonton.

"Be right back," said Yugi, giving Atem's hand a parting squeeze.

Atem smiled after Yugi's departing form. His heart felt warm and light with the knowledge that Yugi's hurtful words from that last night of Obon were not his true feelings after all.

Moments later, Yugi returned with Jou, who carried the portable TV in his arms, which he promptly set down and plugged in. Finished with that, he flashed Atem his winning smile.

"Hey, Temu! Welcome back to da land a da livin'!" he exclaimed.

"Hi, Jou. It's good to be back. Thanks for helping Yugi to care for me," Atem said gratefully.

"No problem! Man, dis is so awesome! As soon as yer up to it, me 'n Yuge'r gonna take ya everywhere, like da movies, da mall, da mosh pits…" said Jou, voice rising an octave as he got more and more excited thinking about all the fun things they would soon do.

Though Jou was filled with well meaning, all of his exuberant attention and loud voice were rather distressing for Atem, causing him to withdraw into himself a bit.

"Easy, Jou. Let's wait till he's actually out of bed first," admonished Yugi by way of quieting the blond down.

"Eh? OK. In dat case, let's watch a DVD!" said Jou, proudly whipping out _Fellowship of the Ring_.

At the sight of _that_ title, Yugi visibly paled, but swallowed his apprehension. Ever since he had run out in the middle of the movie last winter, he had been silently berating himself for his childish behavior. Now was his day of reckoning, so to speak. After all, he couldn't run away crying in front of Atem. He would never live it down!

"What's it about, Jou?" Atem asked, looking at the DVD box with keen interest.

"It's epic! It's about dese short lil dudes called Hobbits, who gotta go on dis badass mission to destroy an evil ring in a volcano!" said Jou excitedly.

"There's way more to it than that," Yugi put in quickly.

"Put it in," said Atem with a nod.

"K," said Jou as he popped the disc into the player.

The three friends sat together as Jou skipped through all the previews to go straight to the movie.

Throughout the film, crimson eyes were riveted on the TV, taking in every scene, sword fight and beautiful piece of music the film had to offer. The story of three hobbits and their quest to save Middle Earth seemed to entrance the ancient pharaoh.

When that part of the movie played, Yugi snuggled up against Atem and blinked at the moisture that filled his eyes as he once again watched Gandalf plunge into the darkness as he battled the Balrog and watched the hobbits crying for their friend. Just as he felt like his heart was going to burst in his chest, the Pharaoh's fingers interlaced with his and squeezed gently. This simple gesture on Atem's part allowed Yugi to watch the rest of the movie without too much distress.

Jou livened things up with his funny and sometimes inappropriate commentary about the different characters and situations, drawing laughs from Yugi and being ignored by Atem, who was simply too engrossed in the movie to notice.

As the credits rolled, Yugi smiled to himself.

 _'What an awesome movie! I'm glad I finished it,'_ he thought.

"That was amazing!" Atem declared, eyes shining. "It's almost as good as the tales I was told as a child."

"Da sequel's comin' to theaters in Decembah, if ya wanna see how da rest a da story goes," offered Jou.

"You'd have to lock me away in Mordor to keep me from it," declared Atem.

Yugi couldn't help but laugh at his normally aloof Pharaoh being so openly enthusiastic about something.

Just after the credits ended, Jou's phone blasted its text tone and he flipped it open to check. His face turned pale as a sheet upon seeing whom it was from.

"Ah, shit!" he said, jumping up from his chair.

"What is it?" asked Yugi upon seeing the change in his friend's demeanor.

"Just got a pissy email from Kaiba sayin' I gotta go to work today b'fore he replaces me wit' a rottweiler," explained Jou, glowering at his phone.

"Kaiba could give Sauron a run for his money in the evil department," commented Atem acerbically.

"Ya said it, Temu! I betta go to work. I'll swing by latah tonight wit' s'more takeout fer you guys," said Jou as he put the DVD in its case.

"Oh, I hope I haven't gotten you in trouble," said Yugi unhappily.

"Nah. Dun worry 'bout it," said Jou as he headed for the door. "See you guys t'night."

"OK," said Yugi.

"Thanks for the movie!" Atem called.

"Any time!" came Jou's voice as the blond descended the stairs.

 _'Jou's been a big help, but he has his own life to live and now that Atem's fever's gone, I can take care of him myself,'_ thought Yugi, gazing fondly at the door Jou had left through.

"So, Jou works for Kaiba now. Have I returned to the wrong dimension?" Atem mused.

"No. Well, I don't think so anyway. Kaiba's not quite as bad as he used to be," explained Yugi.

"I'll believe _that_ when I see it," said Atem, crossing his arms.

"It took us all a while to believe it even after seeing it," smiled Yugi.

"That, I'd believe. Well, the movie was excellent, but now I need some sleep," Atem said through a yawn, looking at Yugi with sleepy garnet orbs.

"OK. Maybe you'll dream about the Shire," teased Yugi gently as he helped Atem to lie back down.

"That would be very peaceful," Atem agreed with a contented smile as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off.

Yugi sat on the chair next to the bed, studying the sleeping man's features. They were and yet weren't, the features Yugi had become familiar with when gazing upon his Other Self. Whereas Other Yugi's features had been Yugi's own, albeit sharper, Atem's features were swarthy and exotic, making him look like a different person altogether.

 _'You're so laid back compared to my Other Self. Not that that's a bad thing, just kinda different. I wonder what other ways you're like and different from him,'_ he thought as he tenderly stroked his Other's thick, soft hair.


	8. Odds and Ends

_That night…_

 _Bright, hot flames shot up all around him to the ceiling of the warehouse, truly a portrait of Hell. Yugi had only one goal in mind: to reassemble the Puzzle and save his Other Self! Even as the flames licked at his clothes and hair, Yugi focused on his beloved Puzzle. However, no matter how much he tried, the pieces were so hot that they kept slipping from his grip. The flames burned closer and closer. Yugi could feel his hair being singed and his flesh seared._

'I'm sorry, Other Me! You paid the price for my carelessness!'

 _Yugi closed his eyes as the flames engulfed him._

Yugi's eyes flew open and he clutched reflexively at his chest, feeling desperately for the Puzzle's weight, but touching the small cartouche instead. As he gasped for breath and looked about the dark room, his senses began to return to him. Of course! The Puzzle was gone, had been gone for two years now. But the Puzzle's former inhabitant was here, wasn't he?

With the afterimages of the pieces of the shattered puzzle reflecting the consuming flames still vivid in his mind, Yugi flung the blanket from his body and exited his room, barely noticing the cold hardwood floor under his bare feet. He crossed the hallway to Atem's room, where he slowly opened the door just enough to peek in and make out the Pharaoh's sleeping form.

In the consuming darkness, Yugi could barely make out Atem lying on his stomach, deep in peaceful slumber. He started to step forward when he heard Atem take in a deep breath and turn over so that he was facing Yugi.

" _Meriu…"_ Atem sighed softly in his sleep.

Yugi continued to stare at his Pharaoh, silently reassuring himself that Atem was fine. Finally, he pulled back, shut the door and returned silently to his room. He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, unable to get the grisly image of the shattered puzzle out of his mind.

* * *

 _Doyobi, Saturday, July 20, 2002_

Crimson eyes cracked open as an ancient Pharaoh stretched himself out luxuriously. Lazy smile playing on his features, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV at the foot of the bed. Soon he was having a fine time flipping through the stations, though he found precious little that caught his attention.

That is until he found a slapstick comedy show that consisted of people beating each other up with wooden boards, pushing each other down staircases, etc. As he watched, Atem's eyes began to twinkle, his lips to curl up in a smile and the next thing, he was roaring with laughter at the pratfalls he watched.

"HA HA HA HA HA!"

The sound of his door opening alerted him to Yugi's entrance to the room. Muting the TV, Atem looked over to the younger man, his heart melting at the sight of Yugi standing in the doorway, looking a bit disheveled and rubbing his eyes, like a little child who had just awoken from a night of vivid dreams. A warm smile lit his handsome features as he held out a hand for Yugi.

With a yawn, the younger man promptly crossed the floor and climbed onto the bed next to Atem, who wrapped his extended arm around his shoulders.

"Good morning, Partner," Atem murmured as he gave Yugi a squeeze. "Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Hm, yeah. I slept…" Yugi slurred even as he snuggled into Atem's warm side.

Atem unmuted the TV and within minutes was roaring with laughter again. So unusual was this that, sleepy as he was, Yugi kept casting glances up at Atem's face. His heart fluttered in his chest as he saw the unguarded smile of amusement on the Pharaoh's usually austere visage. Such a change it was from Other Yugi that for a moment, Yugi felt as though he were with someone else entirely. However, that someone else was not a stranger, but rather the whole Atem that Yugi had never been permitted the chance to get to know.

' _Now that I have the chance, I won't waste it. I'll get to know Pharaoh Atem as well as I knew my Other Self,'_ Yugi thought, even as he began to drift, cocooned in the safety and warmth of his Other's embrace.

When Atem looked down at Yugi to say something during an ad, he noted that Yugi's eyes were shut and his breathing was even and rhythmic in sleep.

' _I don't think you_ did _sleep at all. What troubles your sleep, Partner?'_ he thought as he stroked Yugi's spiky hair.

* * *

 _A bit later…_

Yugi's eyes slowly opened and stared at the gray clouds outside the window and the ceaseless cascade of raindrops that pelted against the window panes.

"You're awake then?" Atem murmured, before pressing a kiss to the crown of Yugi's head.

"I guess…" Yugi said, wrinkling his face unhappily.

"You can't tell?" Atem chuckled, pulling back a bit to look into Yugi's eyes.

"Hard to tell with this crappy weather," Yugi groused. "Will it ever stop raining?"

The Pharaoh couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Yugi's dismal face and gave him a squeeze.

"Ha ha ha ha! Relax, _meriu_. It's not the end of the world," Atem said goodnaturedly.

"It feels like it is. I hate the rain and clouds!" pouted Yugi, glaring at the weather through the window.

"My people prayed for them," observed Atem serenely.

"Huh?" asked Yugi, looking up into a pair of loving rubies. "Sorry…"

"Don't be. It's just something to think about," said Atem as he squeezed Yugi again.

Yugi snuggled up next to Atem as the Egyptian flipped through various talk, reality and game shows, none of which captured his interest.

Presently, a report on how Japan's government was cracking down on illegal foreigners came on, showing video of buildings being raided and people being led away in handcuffs.

"Wait! I wanna watch this!" cried Yugi, putting his hand over Atem's before the Pharaoh could change the station again.

Heart beginning to beat more rapidly as he watched, Yugi spared a glance over to Atem. With his tricolor hair, crimson eyes and swarthy skin, there was no way in Hell anyone would think him Japanese! Not only was Atem not from this country, he wasn't even from this time! What would happen to him if the authorities ever found him? Would he be deported to Egypt?

' _If worst came to worst, he could stay with Isis, but…'_ Yugi thought as he raised a hand to caress the broad chest he was snuggled up to. _'I'd die if I lost him again.'_

The stroking caused Atem to look at Yugi.

"Something wrong, _meriu_?" he asked, ruby irises full of questions.

Yugi shook his head as he whipped out his phone and fired off an email to Jou.

 _Bzzzz!_

W4rDoG: **wll tlk wen i brng ovr the takeout**

"Yugi…"

Atem's voice caught Yugi's attention.

"Yeah?"

"What _is_ troubling you?" Atem pressed.

' _Stubborn Pharaoh!'_

"Um, the news report," Yugi faltered forth. "See, you don't have any ID. Technically, you don't even exist in this time. If they ever caught you here, they'd… they'd take you from me."

Yugi looked away with a shaky sigh.

"They would do no such thing. I wouldn't allow it!" Atem declared imperiously.

"Atem, it's not that easy. You have no political power in this world. You don't even have your shadow powers anymore," warned Yugi.

"That matters not. I'll allow nothing to separate us," asseverated Atem, gripping Yugi's hand and squeezing.

"Well, if everything works out, nothing will," said Yugi, returning the squeeze.

"Have you a plan?" asked Atem.

"Kinda. You see, Jou's told me that Kaiba could hack the computer database and forge documents for you," explained Yugi.

"Do you honestly think Kaiba would help us?" asked Atem, eyebrow arched dubiously.

"If Jou asks for us, there's a chance. Kaiba's really not as bad as he once was," explained Yugi.

"So you keep saying," said Atem.

Just then, they heard the familiar screech of tires.

"Be right back," said Yugi, planting a quick kiss on Atem's brow before jumping up.

He flew downstairs to the side door and unlocked it.

Soon Jou was sitting in the guest room with the tricolors, discussing Atem's options.

"Do you think Kaiba could really get him an ID?" Yugi asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Kaiba kin hack da database easy 'nuff 'n print up everythin' he needs," said Jou, turning his attention to Atem. "But we need a personal history 'n a family name."

"Alright. I was born 20 years ago on July 20 in Thebes, Egypt. My family moved here when I was ten and I became a citizen upon turning 18. As for my full name: Atem Akhnumkanun."

"Akhnumkanun?" asked Yugi.

"My father," answered Atem.

"Lemme email Kaiba right now 'n ask 'm," said Jou with a smile as he fired up his phone's email program.

"And since when were you and Kaiba so close that you've exchanged email addresses?" ribbed a smirking Atem, causing Yugi to giggle into his hand.

"Hey! Ya want my help'r not?!" glowered Jou over his shoulder at the tricolors before starting to compose the email.

In short order, Jou's phone blasted a Church of Misery song that he had picked for his email alert tone.

BlueEyesWhite: **If this is a joke, you're finished at Kaiba Corp!**

"He wants proof. Figures. Mind if I take yer picture, 'Temu?" Jou asked, turning to the Egyptian.

"Yugi, comb and mirror!" commanded Atem.

"Yes, Oh My Pharaoh!" said Yugi, jumping up to get a comb and handheld mirror, causing Jou to snicker.

Yugi returned in short order with the desired comb and handed it to Atem, then held up the mirror so the Pharaoh could groom himself.

' _Vain as a peacock,'_ thought Yugi with a sweatdrop as he watched Atem comb out his spiky hair, removing three days of bedrest from his appearance.

"Go ahead," said Atem, sitting up straight and staring at the now positioned camera, jaw jutting out proudly.

Jou took the photo and emailed it to Kaiba.

W4rDoG: **u no damn well thats atem u saw m in dat memry thing wth th rst of us**

Two minutes later, the song blared again and Jou flipped his phone open.

BlueEyesWhite: **Give me a few hours to get everything ready. In the meantime, he needs to lie low. The government is cracking down on foreigners who don't have their alien cards on them at all times. I'll create an identity that makes him a citizen. I want a full explanation of his return when you get back and tell the Pharaoh that he owes me a duel for this.**

"He's gonna make ya a citizen 'n he wants a rematch in exchange for da docs," said Jou with a grin to Atem.

"Tell him any time, any place," was Atem's cool answer.

Jou fired off the email. A few minutes later, a return email came and he read it.

"I gotta head to Kaiba Corp. Kaiba'll give me da docs personally and I'll swing by 'n give 'em t'ya latah," he said.

"Thank you," said Atem with a grateful smile.

"I'll let myself out. See ya!" said Jou as he tore out of the room.

"Bye!" called Yugi after him.

When they heard the side door shut down below, Yugi relaxed into Atem's waiting arms. The two lay thus in silence for several long moments, just basking in each other's presence.

"Perhaps you were right," Atem spoke at length.

"About what?" asked Yugi, looking up into Atem's face.

"Kaiba may not be quite as bad as he once was," Atem admitted.

"Yeah," said Yugi.

"However, you are _not_ to tell him I said that," Atem's voice rumbled, as he fixed Yugi with a serious gaze.

"Hee hee! I won't!" Yugi promised, reaching up and tracing his finger along the strong jawline.

With a nod, Atem leaned his head back, closing his eyes and relaxing for a bit.

"You know, if you're a citizen, that means you'll be able to vote," Yugi piped up after a bit, sitting up and facing Atem.

"You mean like the Ancient Athenians?" asked Atem, opening his eyes and focusing on Yugi.

"Uh… I guess," said Yugi with a shrug.

"I'm not certain of that. Their form of government was highly unstable and always being taken over by tyrants and dictators, often elected by the citizens themselves," Atem pointed out.

"Well, I'll admit democracy isn't perfect, but it's better than being stuck under a king," said Yugi absently.

"Hey!" barked Atem, crossing his arms and scowling at Yugi.

"Aw, I didn't mean you, Até. I know you were a wonderful king. But isn't history kinda full of kings who weren't so good?" Yugi asked, laying a hand on Atem's bare shoulder.

At this explanation, Atem's features softened as he uncrossed his arms

"Yes. Unfortunately, it is. Nero and Caligula of Ancient Rome come to mind," the Pharaoh said quietly as he looked down at his hands. "I did all I could for my people. I can only pray they didn't see me as being like those two madmen."

He sighed heavily.

"Aw, I'm sure no one did," said Yugi, squeezing Atem's shoulder again. "If all kings were like you, monarchy would be the best form of government."

"Hmph! Flatterer," growled Atem with a return of good humor as he brought a hand up and squeezed the one on his shoulder.

* * *

 _That afternoon…_

Yugi opened the door to admit Jou, who carried a large manila envelope.

"Forged paypahs, hot off da presses!" the blond announced with a shit-eating grin.

"I'll take it, Jou. He's sleeping," said Yugi.

"OK. It's got an ID card 'n citizenship certificate. Now da Pharaoh kin go outside widout worryin' 'bout da cops. Kaiba hacked da government database 'n put'm dere too, so even if dey do check'm out, he'll show up," said Jou.

"Thanks so much and thank Kaiba for us too," returned Yugi softly.

"Temu'll hafta t'ank Kaiba by duelin' 'm," said Jou. "I gotta git my ass back b'fore dat greedy bastad docks me'n hour's pay, even dough I was deliverin' dis shit on his orders!"

"Ha! Sounds like something he'd do," laughed Yugi.

"No shit," glowered Jou. "See ya!"

After Jou had left, Yugi took the envelope up to the guestroom and laid it on the table by the bed where Atem was snuggled under the blanket, fast asleep.

' _Well, that's one worry off my mind,'_ Yugi concluded as he lovingly combed his fingers through Atem's thick hair.

Atem sighed and leaned into Yugi's touch, eliciting a smile on Yugi's features.

* * *

 _Evening…_

Yugi couldn't help but smile as he dipped the cloth into the warm, soapy water, wrung it out, and began rubbing small circles across Atem's shoulder blades. What a difference a day made! For the first time, Atem was able to have his bath sitting up instead of lying on his side. If he kept recovering at the rate he had been, he might even be able to be up and about by tomorrow.

Yugi spared a glance over to Atem's face and felt butterflies explode in his stomach. The Pharaoh's head was down, his eyes closed and lips turned up in a smile of total relaxation under Yugi's ministrations.

Quite the next moment, Atem's eyes opened and he turned to Yugi with a warm gaze, lips turned up in that beautiful smile that he reserved only for his Partner.

Feeling the heat in his cheeks, Yugi quickly returned the smile before turning his attention to his work. When he looked again, Atem's face was once again down, eyes closed in relaxation.

Yugi worked his way slowly down Atem's spine, permitting them both time to enjoy this quiet ritual.

* * *

 _That night…_

 _Sitting on the cold, stone floor, Yugi looked helplessly up at his beloved Millennium Puzzle, dangling from its chain in the grip of Bakura's Other. The Thief King's brown eyes glinted dangerously as a sadistic smirk spread across his pallid features._

" _You did this, runt! Your pharaoh is once again condemned to the Puzzle, all because of your selfish wish!" cackled the Thief King._

" _What are you talking about? I never wished for my Other Self to be bound to the Puzzle again! I'd never do that to him!" cried Yugi as he struggled to gain his feet._

" _Shall I refresh your memory?" came a deep, insolent voice from behind Yugi._

 _Yugi turned his head to see the psychotic face of Marik, which leered down at him, lips retracted in a rictus grin, while the tongue protruded from the mouth. In the center of his brow, the Eye of Wadjet glowed. Marik's greater weight pinned Yugi to the floor, keeping him from rising to his feet._

"' _Oh, Other Me, I'd give anything to bring you back!'" Marik quoted mockingly. "Your wish last Obon reached the afterlife and condemned your lovely pharaoh to the Puzzle once again! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"_

" _No…" whispered Yugi, eyes shifting to the Puzzle, which dangled precariously in the Thief King's hand._

 _He had to get it back! The Pharaoh was helpless when the Puzzle was out of his keeping. Yugi began struggling with all his might against Marik to be able to stand up and go after that accursed Thief King. However, the dark Egyptian's grip on him remained inexorable._

" _What's the matter, runt? Your precious Pharaoh can't come to your rescue this time?" cooed the Thief King mockingly._

" _Give it back, Bakura!" Yugi cried,_

" _Come at me and make me!" taunted the Thief King, swinging the Puzzle about carelessly._

" _AGH!" Yugi screamed as he summoned all his will and finally broke from Marik's grip to lunge at the Thief King._

 _Cackling maniacally, Bakura stepped aside, whirling the Puzzle above his head like a bolo and striking the back of Yugi's head, knocking the senses from him and dropping him like a stone._

" _Isn't that precious? The little vessel wants to save his beloved Pharaoh," Marik mocked, thrusting his tongue about wildly. "Do it, Akeifa!"_

 _At this command, the Thief King swung the Puzzle against the wall, shattering it into its component pieces and sending droplets of Yugi's blood spattering everywhere._

" _No! Other Me!" screamed Yugi, a sob erupting from his throat as he looked on helplessly through doubled vision._

 _Akeifa and Marik grinned sadistically as Yugi crawled among the scattered, bloodstained pieces of the Puzzle, scrabbling desperately and trying to fit them together._

" _Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Your mighty Pharaoh is dead, all because you were too selfish to leave him in the afterlife!" mocked the Thief King. "Come on, Marik. Drinks are on me!"_

" _Sounds great, Akeifa!" growled Marik. "See y'around, Shrimp! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"_

 _As their psychotic laughter faded, Yugi began his desperate attempt to reassemble the Puzzle, but the blood soaking the pieces made them slip around too much to be fit together and would not wipe away no matter how much he rubbed at it with his shirt. Then he saw it: the Eye of Wadjet piece. Dropping the two pieces in his hands, Yugi picked up the central piece and looked at it, to see to his horror that the Eye of Wadjet had a big ugly scratch down the middle of it from being smashed into the wall._

" _Other Me?" Yugi tried, hoping to hear the spirit's deep voice answer his query._

 _He was answered only by the sound of his own voice echoing off the stone walls. Yugi lowered his head as a wave of sorrow engulfed him._

" _Oh, no… Other Me. I'm so, so sorry for betraying you," he mourned, lifting the scratched Puzzle piece to his mouth and kissing it tenderly._

Yugi's eyes flew open as he raised his head and looked around the darkness of his room.

' _That's right! I made that wish during last year's Obon. I was so desperate to see my Other Self again, I never even thought of what might happen to him if I sent that wish. What kind of partner am I?'_ Yugi thought as tears welled in his eyes.

With that hideous nightmare still vivid in his mind, Yugi exited his room, crossed the hall and cautiously opened the door to Atem's room and peeked inside. He was just able to make out the outline of his Other, lying on his stomach under the blanket, the sounds of his peaceful breathing filling the darkness.

Yugi shut the door and blundered down the hallway and staircase, not even bothering to turn on a light as he went. When he got downstairs, he collapsed at the table and wept bitterly, whimpering and gasping his sobs as huge tears rolled down his cheeks.

How would Atem take the news when Yugi broke it to him? For it never for a moment occurred to Yugi to keep this from the Pharaoh. Atem deserved to know why his peaceful existence in the afterlife had been destroyed. Yugi would tell him the whole truth first thing tomorrow, then bow down in apology, brow touching the wooden floor. Atem would be fearfully angry, perhaps even enough to hate Yugi and would probably leave the shop as soon as he was well enough to.

' _And I wouldn't blame him at all!'_

Yugi had fought to be strong for so long now, running the shop alone after Grandpa's death, enduring the haunting for months and then spending the past three days caring for Atem, whose afterlife he had selfishly fucked up! Emotionally, he had reached the end of his rope, so he cried brokenly, months worth of grief, worry and just plain stress pouring from his body. He felt small and vulnerable and 15 years old again.

' _I can't do this. I can't be strong anymore!'_

How long Yugi stayed thus, he didn't know. So caught up was he in his despair that he failed to hear the unsteady footsteps on the floor above, nor the creaking of the stairs that followed.

In fact, it wasn't until the kitchen light came on and he felt a strong hand on his shoulder that Yugi returned to the real world with a start, spinning around to look into the concerned face of Atem, whose brow was creased and eyes darkened by worry.

"Yugi, why are you down here by yourself?" Atem asked, hands gently caressing the younger man's face in the now familiar gesture.

"Oh, Other Me… I'm so sorry," Yugi choked out, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"What… are you talking about?" Atem asked, thumbs wiping in vain at the continuous cascade of tears from Yugi's eyes.

"It's all my fault," Yugi sobbed.

"What's all your fault?" Atem asked, frowning and cocking his head.

"That you're here!" Yugi blurted out, heedless of how his words would sound to the Pharaoh's ears.

Atem's hands stilled at these words, heart freezing and clenching painfully in his chest. Did Yugi not want him here after all? Were his words from the last night of Obon his true feelings?

" _I don't want you here! Get out of my shop! Get out of my life!"_

Yugi felt Atem tense up and freeze. He looked up into the face of his Other, whose mouth hung open in disbelief, eyes widened in shock, as though someone had just slapped him across the face. The Pharaoh's body was as rigid as a statue and Yugi felt the trembling through the hands that caressed his face.

"Atem?" Yugi asked. "What's wrong?"

The Pharaoh lowered his gaze and looked down to the side, hands dropping away from Yugi's face.

"Did I say something wrong?" Yugi asked, playing back what he had just said to Atem.

" _It's my fault you're here."_

' _Oh no no no no no!'_ Yugi thought when he realized how his words just now must have sounded to Atem.

"No, Atem! That came out all wrong! I didn't mean it the way it sounded! I… I gotta tell you everything, from the start!"

This achieved the desired effect of Atem raising his now teary eyes back to Yugi and fixing him with such a heartbroken gaze that Yugi knew he must hurry and give a thorough explanation immediately. Taking Atem's hands in his and giving a gentle squeeze, he took a deep, shaky breath before beginning his explanation, words stumbling one over the other.

"At last year's Obon, I sent a tanzaku on the lantern I'd made for you, saying that I wanted you to come back. I never even thought of what that might do to you and now you've been ripped from the afterlife because of my selfishness. So… so I'll understand if you hate me now," Yugi finished, lowering his head, awaiting the Pharaoh's judgment.

Poor Atem was completely taken aback by Yugi's words and demeanor, eyes widening as he listened.

' _Oh, my Yugi,'_ he thought sadly as he absently wiped the moisture from his cheeks.

Yugi was surprised when he felt a hand slip out of his grip and fingers cupping his chin, gently but firmly raising his face to look into Atem's stern visage.

"Let us get two things straight, Mutou Yugi. One: I could never hate you, for _any_ reason. Two: Just what makes you think I was _forced_ back from the afterlife?"

Yugi's jaw dropped as he goggled at Atem, trying desperately to process his words.

"Wait… Are you saying you wanted to come back?" he asked.

Atem's stern face melted into a loving smile as he moved his hand from under Yugi's chin to caress his right cheek.

"But, but… why?" Yugi asked.

This question was answered by Atem threading his fingers into Yugi's hair so that he was clutching the back of Yugi's head, then pulling Yugi's face toward his, until their lips brushed together in a chaste, but warm kiss.

Yugi's eyes widened and he flinched, but quite the next moment, he leaned instinctively into the kiss, feeling his lips rub against Atem's. When he felt the Pharaoh's tongue demanding entrance, he parted his lips and right away felt Atem's tongue on his, pushing it down while it explored the depths of his mouth. Not one to just submit, Yugi's tongue jumped back up and began wrestling with Atem's. The two sparred thus, neither gaining ground on the other, until the need for oxygen became too much and they had to withdraw, tongue spar left at a stalemate.

"So, no more talk of hatred, alright?" Atem asked, still caressing the back of Yugi's head with his left hand.

Yugi buried his face in Atem's chest, inhaling the lingering moisture from the Pharaoh's earlier bath. Finally, he managed a weak smile.

"OK…" he said in a small voice.

"Come. I'm taking you to bed with me," said the Pharaoh, grasping Yugi's hand and giving a firm tug.

Too tired to resist or object, Yugi followed Atem from the kitchen, his Other shutting off the light on their way upstairs.

* * *

In the darkness of the guestroom, Atem pulled the blanket over himself and Yugi, holding Yugi tightly to his chest. The Pharaoh closed his eyes, intent on finding sleep once again.

Still too agitated to relax into slumber, Yugi lay rigidly in Atem's arms, heart pumping like a jackhammer as he squirmed about, trying to get comfortable.

Yugi felt his hand being gently guided to the warm, soft skin of the Pharaoh's chest, underneath which his heart beat away in a strong and steady cadence. Loving kisses rained down upon him, becoming warmer and more passionate by the second. Yugi found himself reciprocating, lips touching the Pharaoh's brow, cheeks, nose and finally, meeting his lips.

As their lips met, sparks flew up in Yugi's heart. He felt Atem's strong tongue against his lips, demanding entrance. Yugi's lips parted to grant his Pharaoh's desire and that strong, hot tongue plunged into his small, wet mouth, plundering him, raking against his teeth, pushing his own tongue down into submission.

Hands sliding under his pajama shirt made his skin shiver with delight. Thumbs and forefingers pinching his nipples made him flinch in response. Yugi's hands sought out the Pharaoh's chest and reciprocated, making Atem's body twitch in response.

Atem's mouth moved down to Yugi's neck, sucking on the pulse point and making the younger man's eyes roll back in their sockets.

Yugi reciprocated by lowering his head, wrapping his lips around a dusky nipple and giving suck.

"Oh, Raaaaaaa!" Atem growled.

The Pharaoh's hands traveled lower and squeezed Yugi's globes through his pajama pants.

With a sob of frustration, Yugi hastily wriggled out of his pajamas. Atem's hands found purchase on Yugi's pert little derriere, squeezing and kneading.

"Ooooh, Atem!" Yugi groaned.

Moving around to the front, Atem's hand grasped Yugi's now quite stiff desire and gave an experimental squeeze, causing the lithe body to stiffen and breath to be drawn in a surprised gasp.

"Haa aaaaah! Atem?!" Yugi yelped, startled by the new sensations.

His voice was muffled by the Pharaoh's tender kiss as that strong hand gave a goodly stroke.

As Atem worked, he could feel the organ growing larger and harder, as well as beginning to throb.

Forgetting any semblance of modesty, Yugi began thrusting into Atem's strokes, the warm tightness of the Pharaoh's grip spurring him on. Gripping Atem's shoulders for leverage, Yugi increased his thrusts as Atem's strong hand sped up its tempo and squeezed tighter. As the tingly warmth grew and grew, Yugi threw back his head, a keening sound erupting from his throat.

"Aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Aaaaaaaaaaaaateeeeeeeeeeeemmmmmmmm!"

Feeling the younger man responding to his strokes, Atem continued his work on bringing Yugi the release he so desperately needed, with quick, but deep movements. Finally, he felt Yugi's organ twitch before a geyser of white, hot liquid erupted from the tip and onto his hand.

"Oooooooh goooooooodddss, my Phaaaaraaaaaooooohhhhh!"

To Atem, no sight was more beautiful than his Yugi in the throws of passion while white liquid coursed from his hard organ.

As the waves broke over Yugi, he threw his head back in ecstasy. Stars danced and exploded before his vision. The warmth exploded in his core and for just a moment, he wasn't in his body. He was standing under the star spangled night sky, watching as a meteor rocketed through the navy vault. The only sound was a distant rumbling, though there was nary a cloud to be seen.

Slowly, the stars and meteor faded and the rumbling became louder and clearer until Yugi recognized it as a voice speaking to him.

"That's it, love. Come back to me now. Follow my voice. Very good," the deep voice of his Other called to him.

A breathlessly gasping Yugi opened glazed over violet eyes and beheld twinkling ruby irises smiling down at him as a large, strong hand gently caressed his cheek.

"A… tem…" he sighed.

" _Nefertu meriu,"_ Atem murmured, leaning in and gently capturing Yugi's lips. "You are so beautiful in the throes of ecstasy."

For a seeming eternity, the two men lay quietly, each savoring the feeling of the other's arms around him.

"I've never felt anything like that," spoke Yugi when he had recovered sufficiently.

Of course, like any other healthy young man, Yugi had pleasured himself before, but that was as nothing compared to what Atem had just guided him through.

"It only gets better from here," Atem said huskily in Yugi's ear.

Yugi looked up excitedly, but was stayed as Atem planted a kiss on his forehead.

"But for now, sleep calls both of us," the Pharaoh spoke wisely. "There's no need to hurry. We've all the time in the world."

"Good night, Atem," Yugi said through a yawn.

"Sleep well, _meriu_ ," murmured Atem.


	9. An Ancient Pharaoh in a New World

_Nichiyobi, Sunday, July 21, 2002_

The sun's light streaming in through the window made Atem's eyes flicker open. After a week straight of rain and clouds, Ra once again graced the world with his white light. The Pharaoh yawned and stretched out, feeling deliciously rested in mind and body.

Looking to his side, he saw Yugi, curled up tightly against him, still fast asleep under the blanket. A tender smile crossed the Egyptian's features, ruby eyes softening with love as he brushed a few stray blond bangs from the sleeping man's brow. Yugi's face wrinkled, but he remained asleep.

' _Paiå meriu,'_ Atem thought. _'My beloved.'_

Peeling back the blanket, Atem rose from the bed. After tucking the blanket around Yugi, Atem approached the window and stood with his palms turned toward Ra's hot light, allowing it to caress and warm his exposed flesh, eyes closed and head thrown back in ecstasy. The warm tingly feeling enveloped his whole body, galvanizing him, brightening his eyes and awakening his mind fully.

Looking through the window, Atem's eyes fell on a tall oak tree, branches gently swaying in the light summer breeze. The green leaves stood in such a contrast to the brilliant blue sky that it almost hurt to look at them. Sharp eyes could make out each nodule of bark on the tree's trunk. Was that a songbird flitting about in the branches, trilling its matutinal cant?

At length, Atem forced himself to pry his eyes away from the outdoors and decided that he must now focus on practical matters, such as clothing. His white shenti lay folded on a shelf. However, he quickly dismissed the thought of donning it.

With a quick glance at the still sleeping Yugi, Atem stole from the room and crossed the hall into Yugi's room, blissfully unbothered by his current state of undress.

In his partner's room, Atem opened the closet and noted all the leather goods with cool approval.

' _Looks like my fashion sense rubbed off on him,'_ he thought with a wry smile.

However, the summer heat made wearing black leather an unpalatable thought, even for a leather lover like Atem. After picking out a pair of shorts and a tank top which left little to the imagination, the Egyptian made his way to the shower, desperate to wash a week of being bedridden from his body. In the shower, Atem looked over the equipment, reading what he needed in order to operate it.

After getting the water to a comfortable temperature, he turned the sprayer on himself, closing his eyes in ecstasy as each droplet of the hot spray seemed to explode against him individually as it washed over his skin.

' _Ra, how I've needed this!'_

Atem drenched his spiky hair until it hung over his shoulders. After reading the instructions on the shampoo bottle, he lathered it into his hair, which took five minutes due to the length and volume of it.

After taking care of his hair, Atem soaped himself from neck to toe, the soap's smooth friction simultaneously rubbing against and soothing his skin. When the hot rinse pelted against his sensitized skin again, he was in knocked into a state of bliss.

' _I must bring Yugi in with me one day,'_ he thought as he worked the sprayer lower and lower.

A groan of ecstasy filled the shower room.

After washing, Atem wrung out his hair, toweled off, and donned his purloined clothes.

Feeling refreshed, the Pharaoh returned to the guestroom and retrieved his earrings, armbands, bracelets and rings. Even if he couldn't wear his shenti, the jewelry was still fair game. Standing before the mirror in Yugi's room, he clipped his earrings to his lobes and slid his rings, armbands and bracelets back into place. He was about to pull away, when he spied a rubber band on Yugi's desk.

' _Why not?'_ he thought as he picked the rubber band up.

Because his hair was still damp, it was easy for Atem to gather it at the back of his head and fit the band around it, doubling it up for security. The feeling of his hair being pulled back was a strange, but not unpleasant one.

' _I knew I looked good, but not this good,'_ Atem thought as he struck different poses before the glass, admiring his new hairstyle mixed with his ancient jewelry. _'Although, I could use some kohl.'_

Quite pleased with his appearance, Atem glanced to his right and saw the gaming PC sitting on Yugi's desk. He went over to the machine and inspected it.

' _How I would love to play with these new toys,'_ he thought with a smile as he ran his fingers over the plastic keyboard and picked up some of the game CD-ROMs to inspect.

Atem looked about the rest of the room until his gaze fell on the wooden butsudan in the corner. Slowly, he approached the small shrine and knelt before it. As he ran his fingers over the wooden surface, he was struck by a wave of sorrow, as though all the grief that Yugi had poured out in front of this shrine were inundating his heart. With a shudder, he backed away from the butsudan.

The Egyptian made his way down the staircase and into the kitchen, eyes darting about as he got his bearings. Off to the left was the side door and the genkan, where the shoes reposed when not in use. Atem went over and looked down at the single pair of shoes that waited, toes toward the door, for someone to step down into them and walk them out into the sunny sky beyond the door.

' _The only way to get to know this new world of mine is to venture out into it,'_ Atem thought as he started to lower his foot.

Then he stopped, remembering that newscast he and Yugi had watched about people being caught without ID. Atem beat a quick retreat back up to his room and pocketed his forged ID card. Then, pausing to bestow a kiss on the still sleeping Yugi's temple, left the room and hastened downstairs once again.

After stepping into Yugi's shoes, Atem set foot out the door and began his walk. Since it was just his first day out of bed and he didn't know the geography of the city, beyond a few scant memories from his days in the Puzzle, he decided to just walk around the block.

The sun's warm rays shone down on Atem's bronze skin, kissing it with its glad light and warming him, as though to say, "Welcome back to the world, Atem. I'm glad you've decided to live again."

A gentle breeze caressed Atem's face and ruffled his blond bangs, causing a smile to break upon his swarthy features. The feeling of the sun on his skin made him stop and look up at the the vault of blue sky.

' _Yes. I am back. This world is my home now and I will do something here that I could never do in Kemet: live!'_ Atem thought as he started forward again.

As Atem walked briskly, his sharp gaze swept over everything, never staying on anything for more than a fraction of a second, allowing him to build a picture of the block in his memory. The sidewalks were lined with tall maple and oak trees.

As he walked along, several people stopped and stared at him, at which he smirked.

' _I can't blame them after all. If I were one of them, I'd stare at me too,'_ he thought as he strutted magnificently down the sidewalk.

When a car drove by, Atem winced at the engine's noise and wrinkled his nose at the noxious exhaust, which he felt like he would choke on. Thankfully, the gentle breeze would always dissipate it quickly.

' _Those metal monsters are so foul. A herd of hippos would exude a more pleasant odor!'_

As Atem rounded the second corner, a pretty black and white cat sidled up in front of him. Smile crossing his features, Atem stopped walking and squatted down to look at the cat closer. Meowing softly, she approached him, arching her back as his hand found its way to the top of her head, then stroked down her spine, all the way to the tip of her twitching tail.

" _Nefer mau,"_ Atem spoke to her in soft tones as he continued to stroke her slowly and softly.

At length, with a parting 'meow', the pretty little cat continued on her journey and a smiling Atem continued on his.

As he walked, Atem's sensitive ears picked up every susurration of wind through the tree leaves, every flutter of a bird's wings and trilled song. The voices of children riding bikes and running up and down reached him as though they were merely feet away from him.

Finally, the game shop came back into view. Atem stepped in through the side door, closing and locking it behind him and stepping out of his shoes.

 _Growl!_

The gnawing empty feeling that accompanied that sound told Atem that his stomach desperately wanted to be filled up.

' _That was a good walk. Now, what's for breakfast?'_ he thought to himself as he approached the pantry.

Atem's countenance fell when all he saw were the bags of Doritos and Mountain Dew bottles.

' _Doritos and Mountain Dew…'_ he thought in consternation. _'Since my Partner's been eating this detritus for the past few months, it's no wonder he's been having nightmares.'_

Atem abandoned the pantry and went to the fridge, to find all the takeout Jou had brought by every day for the past week.

' _Somewhat better,'_ he thought as he looked around. _'I know what I need.'_

Turning his attention to the cupboard, Atem rifled through it until his fingers felt the cover of what he was looking for and pulled out Grandpa's recipe book.

' _Ah! Ra bless you, Shimon!'_

Atem leafed through the book until he found a recipe that could accommodate the leftovers. Returning to the fridge, he acquired what he would need.

' _I can do this. It's just another challenge to surmount,'_ he thought to himself.

Atem had never cooked in his life, having been waited on hand and foot as a Pharaoh, but he could read and follow instructions. It really wasn't any different than learning the skill set of a new game, then memorizing and following it until it was second nature. Soon enough, the entire kitchen filled with a delicious aroma as Atem cooked his first ever dish.

* * *

Yugi floated up from heavy contentment toward wakefulness, memories of last night's encounter with Atem as vivid as though they had just happened moments ago. Opening his eyes, Yugi rolled over to greet the Egyptian… only to find an empty spot on the bed next to him. He touched the spot, finding it quite cool. Heart thundering from the panic that was setting in, Yugi sat up and darted his eyes about the room, of which he was the only occupant.

' _Where is he?!'_ he thought as the panic grew unbearable.

Pausing only to throw his PJs back on, Yugi went tearing downstairs, desperate to find Atem. So focused was he on running that he neglected to watch where he was going and pitched forward about halfway down the staircase.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Yugi tumbled through space, expecting to crack his skull on the hard tile floor at the bottom. Imagine his surprise when he hit a solid, warm body instead.

"That's certainly the most unique way of descending a staircase I've ever seen," Atem's deep voice rumbled. "Are you thinking of trying out for _Idiot Zone_?"

Still reeling from his almost brush with the floor, Yugi pulled back a bit and looked his savior over. He beheld one Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, clad in his shorts and tank top and adorned all over with golden jewelry, staring at him with a mixture of amusement and concern dancing in his ruby irises. Yugi found himself mute and immobile, only able to stare stupidly up into the Pharaoh's face.

At Yugi's silence, Atem frowned and cocked his head.

' _Say something to him, idiot!'_ Yugi's brain screamed at him.

"Um, are you sure you should be up?" he faltered forth. 'Brilliant…'

"Quite sure," Atem answered with a small smile as he stood Yugi on his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Sorry for being so clumsy," Yugi murmured.

"Ha ha! You're far from the clumsiest I've seen. Seth was always tripping over his robes," chuckled Atem as he pulled back from Yugi and returned to the stove. "Would you mind setting the table?"

Yugi made short work of setting the table with plates, bowls and chopsticks. He then sat down and waited, mouth watering the whole time.

Soon, breakfast was finished and Atem brought everything over and served two equal portions on their plates before returning the pot and sitting down at his place.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook," Yugi ventured.

"Oh, I don't. This is my first time, so I make no promises," Atem warned as he sat down.

The tricolors exchanged a smile as they folded their hands before themselves.

"Thanks for the food!"

Yugi dug his chopsticks in and took a bite. The taste was more than passable and he went in for the kill, shoveling everything into his mouth. He felt a pair of expectant crimsons on him as he ate.

"It's good," he said around a mouthful.

"I'm glad to hear that," Atem returned truthfully, only now trying some of the food.

"I noticed you let me taste it first," commented Yugi with a smirk.

"A king never eats without letting someone test his food first," Atem responded with a wry smile.

"Your food is safe to eat, Oh My Pharaoh!" Yugi announced.

The tricolors snickered at each other, grasping each other's hands for just a second.

As the meal proceeded in silence from that point, Yugi sent surreptitious gazes in Atem's direction. On only his first day out of bed, the Pharaoh had figured out how to use the stove well enough to make a more than passable breakfast. Yes, there was a lot to discover about this version of his Other.

"The food was great," the tricolors declared as they set their chopsticks down and stood up in unison.

Since Atem had made breakfast, Yugi insisted on washing the dishes, to which Atem gratefully acceded.

* * *

 _After the dishes…_

"Now that you have your own body, I can take you to all the places I wanted to before and show you them!" exclaimed Yugi.

Atem glanced at the beautiful vault of blue sky outside the window. After a week of rain, he and Yugi both ached to get out into the sunshine.

"I'm game. Where to first?" he asked.

Yugi thought a moment. Of course he wanted to take Atem to all the places Jou had suggested, but decided to wait a bit on that, not wanting to overwhelm his poor Other on only his first day out of bed.

"We could go to the park," he suggested at length. "Not the most exciting place, but it's pretty."

"Lead the way then," said Atem.

"OK, but first you need a wallet for your ID card," said Yugi, looking around a bit, until he remembered something. "Wait here!"

Yugi ran up to his room, opened up his desk drawer and found his quarry: the old leather chain wallet that had served him faithfully in junior high and high school. Wallet in hand, Yugi all but ran back down the stairs.

"Remember this?" he asked, holding up the wallet for Atem.

"Oh! I loved this wallet!" exclaimed Atem, eyes lighting at the sight of the black leather and silver chain.

"You can have it if you like. I bought myself a new one a while ago," said Yugi, holding the wallet out for Atem. "Or you can just use it until you get a new one."

"No, this will do nicely," smiled Atem as he took the wallet from Yugi's hands and began stuffing his ID cards into its recesses. "Thank you!"

"OK, I have some old shoes that should fit you. Lemme get them," said Yugi.

After ensuring that the shoes were a comfortable fit for Atem, the tricolors set foot outdoors for their first jaunt abroad as a couple, Atem slipping his hand over Yugi's and squeezing.

Startled by the open affection, Yugi looked down at the bronze fingers interlaced with his own pale ones. For a moment, he almost pulled back, since displays of affection were typically frowned upon. But the weird thing was, Yugi really felt no real inclination to do so. After all, he and Atem had shared a body once, so what was the problem if they held hands? If other people didn't understand, that was on them. So, hand in hand, the young couple walked toward the park, receiving only a few cursory glances, which were easily ignored.

At last, the gray concrete of the sidewalk was replaced by green grass and iron street lamps by the bark of trees.

An intake of breath told Yugi that Atem was aware of their arrival. The look of rapture in his normally severe face made Yugi smile.

* * *

 _Domino Park_

Although the beautiful flowers from April were long gone, the park was in a state of deep verdure, with lush grass to be walked and lain upon and trees with large leaves which swayed in the breeze, perfect for basking under to get out of the sun's oppressive heat.

As always, the park was full of people of all ages and dogs, coming and going, going and coming. Around the park a paved walkway coiled with some people jogging on it while others walked at a more sedate pace.

"By Osiris," said Atem as he looked around.

"Whutcha wanna look at first?" asked Yugi.

Atem looked around until he spied the blue pond.

"That!" he said, pointing to the body of water.

The tricolors went over to the pond and Yugi sat down so Atem could look at the water more closely. The Egyptian strode up the shore, knelt down and plunged his hands into the cool water, brought them up and splashed the water onto his face. The wetness and coldness of the water hit Atem full on in the face as though a tidal wave had broken upon him. He turned to Yugi with long golden bangs plastered to his face and such large eyes, that Yugi couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Oh, I'm that funny, am I?" Atem growled playfully, lunging at Yugi.

Fortunately for Yugi, he was far enough away to see when Atem made his move and jumped to his feet. The tricolors raced about the trees, laughing like a pair of schoolboys as Atem chased Yugi down. Yugi kept ahead for a good bit, but was finally outpaced as Atem caught up to him and wrapped his arms around his body.

Yugi squirmed about in Atem's arms in a half-hearted attempt to break free, but only succeeded in sending them both to the ground in a heap of limbs and tricolor hair. Both boys rolled across the grass, wrestling each other and laughing, completely oblivious to the curious stares of onlookers. Yugi's fingers found purchase on Atem's ribs and soon he had the poor Pharaoh squirming on the ground, tears spilling from ruby irises as Yugi took sweet revenge on him.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!" Atem guffawed.

Before Yugi knew what was happening, Atem's fingers were on his ribs as the Pharaoh quickly retaliated. The two boys rolled over and over each other, neither one willing to yield to the other's tickle attack.

Enjoying himself, but wanting to end the wrestling match, Atem leaned forward and captured Yugi's lips in his, pushing his tongue between the younger man's lips and wrestling his to the bottom of his mouth, kissing the very breath from Yugi's body.

Gasping for air, the boys flopped happily over on their backs.

Atem turned his head and smiled at the younger man lying next to him. Yugi was so much fun to be around and Atem felt blessed by the gods for being allowed this second chance with his Partner.

Closing his eyes, Atem allowed himself to fall into a doze, lulled by the warm sun on his face and the slightly cooler wind blowing against his skin. Gradually, all the sounds around him became just a wash of white noise in the background, pushing him further and further into slumber's embrace.

A while later, Yugi poked up his head and saw Atem's eyes closed and jaw slackened, indicating that he was in a doze.

' _Hope I didn't tire you out too much,'_ he thought as he combed his fingers through Atem's red fringe.

Turning his head, he looked over and saw a pavilion, full of machines stocked with bottles of all different kinds of pop. The heat of the day, plus their earlier workout, had indeed left Yugi's mouth a bit on the dry side.

' _If I'm thirsty, I bet Atem is too,'_ he thought to himself. _'I think I'll surprise him.'_

Standing up, Yugi pulled out his wallet and counted out his change; more than enough for two cans of something sweet and cold. With a smile down at his sleeping Pharaoh, Yugi ran over to the pavilion to look for something for them to drink.

The pavilion was crowded by kids and teens patronizing a bewildering choice of vending machines, featuring pop, juice, iced tea and even coffee! Yugi quickly fell into walking slowly about the pavilion, looking for something good for both of them. Would Atem want a Coke? Maybe Ramune? Iced coffee, possibly?

* * *

Atem floated lazily up through the thin veneer of his doze. Crimson eyes opened and looked skyward, into that deep blue vault that is the midsummer sky. Smiling in contentment, he glanced over to his left… only to hit empty grass where Yugi should have been.

"Partner?!" the Pharaoh asked, sitting up and looking all about.

No sign of Yugi.

Atem scrambled to his feet and looked wildly about, heart already beginning to speed up in his chest. Where was Yugi? He had been right there next to him! Surely, if someone had come along to hurt him, Atem would have heard it and awakened instantly. He had heard nothing out of the ordinary the entire time he had been in a doze.

' _Alright, Atem. Don't panic. He probably just went to the bathroom,'_ Atem thought to himself.

Accordingly, he made his way over to the building with the bathrooms in it and entered the men's room. There were a few other men in there, doing their business. They took no notice of him as he looked about. That is, until he approached the stalls and peeked under the doors.

"Yugi?"

"Hey! Git outta here, ya little punk!"

"Pervert!"

"Queer!"

Atem hastened from the dark, cramped bathroom out into the wide, bright park. Too bright! Why were there so many people? The zooming of cars from the nearby streets, the shouts of children the barking of dogs. Everything was so loud! Atem's gaze darted wildly about the tilting world for any sign of his violet eyed friend.

He ventured over by the playgrounds, keeping a sharp eye out for spiky black hair with purple fringes. Nothing there but a bunch of little kids, running about and screaming, while their mothers did everything they could to ignore them. With their shrill screams assaulting his ears and all the bright colors coalescing around him like vultures circling a corpse, Atem hastened from the playground area.

Taking deep breaths, Atem forced himself to go forward until he found himself on the paved trail which wound around the park's perimeter. As he walked unsteadily along it, the trail seemed to stretch out before him into eternity. The other people walking on it fell into shadow until they were nothing more than faceless silhouettes. The entire world began to melt about him, colors and shapes bleeding into one another, undulating and whirling about him until he felt like he was going to fall over and disgorge the contents of his stomach.

Flinging himself off this eternal path of darkness, Atem fled back toward the pond even as the entire world reeled about him, sideways and upside down at the same time. Finally, Atem spied the pond with its sparkling blue water up ahead of him. Surely, Yugi would be here, at this safe haven away from the spinning chaos the rest of the world had degenerated into.

Upon seeing that Yugi wasn't here either, Atem's heart plummeted in his chest. The sparkling diamonds of the water grew brighter and brighter as the land began to spin again, until Atem found himself surrounded by white streaks swirling around him, faster and faster. As tears of despair welled in his eyes and his legs began to buckle under his weight, he grabbed his head in both hands.

"Atem?" the voice came from behind him.

Startled, Atem whirled about, barely able to keep himself from keeling over. At the sight of his missing Partner's large violet eyes and worried face, the land stopped whirling around him, the sounds quieted down to their normal volume and everything straightened into proper focus and shape.

The next second, Atem was right before Yugi, gripping the younger man's shoulders.

"Yugi, where _were_ you?" Atem asked, a hitch in his voice.

Yugi's Other was up in his face and gripping his shoulders so quickly, that Yugi hadn't even time to react as the cans dropped from his hands and rolled in the soft grass. His blood ran cold at the look of panic on Atem's features. Never would he have believed that his strong, steadfast Pharaoh could fall to pieces so easily.

"I… I got us some pop," Yugi explained, pointing down to the two cans, one of lemon and the other of lime.

"Where. Were. You?" Atem repeated, voice rising in agitation.

"I was over in the pavilion with all the vending machines," Yugi explained softly, pointing at the pavilion. "I didn't say anything because I didn't wanna wake you up. I thought I'd just be gone minute, but it took so long to pick what I wanted."

Yugi looked up into the Pharaoh's panic stricken countenance and wild eyes and mentally kicked himself.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, lowering his gaze.

"Please, _please_ , never do that again," Atem roughened, closing his eyes and touching his forehead to Yugi's.

"Never again. I promise," said Yugi, reaching up and gripping Atem's shoulders.

The two boys stood thus, hands on each other's shoulders and gazes locked. Yugi watched as Atem's agitation gradually ebbed away, gaze softening to something more akin to its normal calm darkness. Only then did he release the Pharaoh's shoulders and remember the reason for his disappearance in the first place.

"You thirsty?"

"Hm? Oh…" Atem pulled back as well with a small sniffle, finally noticing the pop cans lying on the grass by their feet. "Yes, quite. Thank you, _meriu_."

"I don't know which you want, lemon or lime. Taste them both and pick what you like," said Yugi, picking up the cans and holding them out.

Atem took both cans and tried each one.

"The lemon," he decided, handing the lime back to Yugi.

The tricolors sat down at the edge of the pond and slowly drank their citrus pop.

* * *

As they walked home, hand in hand, Yugi puzzled over Atem's near meltdown to his absence. The sight of his normally unflappable Pharaoh near tears made his heart feel heavy, as he never wanted to be a source of distress for his Other.

"Hey, Atem," he ventured, violet eyes shifting over to the man next to him.

"Yes?" replied Atem, returning Yugi's gaze.

"W-why did my being gone upset you so much?" Yugi asked carefully.

"Because I couldn't. see. you," Atem answered solemnly, squeezing Yugi's hand.

"Oh, OK, I get that. But you know, we can't always be together 24/7," Yugi said.

"Why?" asked Atem, as if he had never considered anything other than being together all the time.

"Well, I mean, what if one of us had an errand to run during the week? We can't just close up the shop every time one of us has to go out. One of us would have to stay at the shop while the other went and did his errand," explained Yugi.

Atem looked forward, jaw squared in thought.

"Hmmmm. I never considered that. You're right, of course. But, please, if you must go off by yourself, tell me," he responded, squeezing Yugi's hand again and looking at Yugi with eyes so full of love and worry that Yugi's heart felt warm and heavy in his chest.

"I will. I promise," said Yugi, squeezing back.

"Thank you, _meriu_ ," replied Atem, smiling at his Partner. "And of course, I'll do the same for you."

"I know, _āa mertu_ ," said Yugi, smiling back.

As the white sun arced its course through the azure firmament, the Pharaoh and his Partner walked home in contented silence, hand in hand.

* * *

 _That evening…_

Atem and Yugi sat together on the couch, enjoying the quiet after having just shut off the large TV.

"It's wonderful to be back," Atem said at length, eyes shining like twin sunsets as he wrapped his arms around Yugi's shoulders. "I can't wait to meet the others as myself for the first time."

At this, Yugi frowned and looked away.

Worry creeped into Atem's heart and he lowered his hands along Yugi's arms until they were holding the younger man's hands.

"Do you think they'll reject me?" he asked anxiously, for he loved Yugi's friends as much as Yugi did.

"No, no!" said Yugi, quickly turning his gaze back to Atem to reassure him. "It's just that, well, things have changed a lot the past two years."

"You mean aside from Jou working for Kaiba?" Atem asked sardonically.

"Yeah," said Yugi as he took a deep breath and began at the beginning. "After we graduated high school last year, Anzu went to New York to study dance."

"Ah, good," said Atem with a warm smile as he recalled watching Anzu in her element at the Spider during their "date."

"Yeah, I guess…" said Yugi, looking dismally down at their interlaced hands.

"You don't approve?" Atem inquired.

"It's not that. It's just, I miss her. We've been emailing, but it's not the same!" complained Yugi.

"No, it isn't. But it's better than not being able to talk at all," Atem said with a smile as he gave Yugi's hands a squeeze.

Yugi snorted.

"That's what _Grandpa_ said, word for word."

"Then take it as sound advice," admonished Atem, lips quirking in a smile.

"Pfft!" was Yugi's response to Atem's advice. "Anyway, Honda and Shizuka went to Hokkaido."

"With Honda still in one piece?" chuckled Atem.

"It was a close call, but he won Jou's approval," explained Yugi.

"Oh, how I would have loved to witness _that_ exchange," said Atem with a wry smile.

"Yeah," returned Yugi with a small smile. "Anyway, Otogi's still running the Black Crown and Bakura's working at the museum and studying archeology at Domino University."

"Hmph! Once a tomb robber, always a tomb robber, I suppose," Atem growled, a spiteful frown marring his handsome features.

"Bakura's not like that! He'll be respectful!" protested Yugi, fixing Atem with a direct gaze as he stood up for his friend.

"Breaking into someone's eternal resting place is _never_ respectful, Yugi," the Pharaoh admonished, meeting Yugi's direct gaze with his own solemn one.

"Well, if Grandpa hadn't broken into your tomb, I'd never have assembled the Millennium Puzzle," pointed out Yugi.

The Pharaoh opened his mouth to reply, then promptly closed it.

"Point… taken," he said quietly at length.

Yugi couldn't help but smile impishly.

"I… noticed you have a computer now," Atem said by way of changing the subject.

"Yeah. Grandpa got it for my birthday last year," Yugi answered, face lighting at the thought of his beloved gaming rig. "I have to upgrade the memory pretty soon."

"Might I try it some time?" Atem asked, gazing at Yugi.

Yugi's face lit at the prospect of teaching Atem the art of PC gaming.

"Yeah! Let's do it right now! There are so many cool games!" he cried, jumping up and grabbing Atem by the hand.

A chuckling Atem allowed Yugi to lead him upstairs to Yugi's room.

* * *

"Do you want me to show you what to do, or do you just wanna try it yourself?" Yugi asked.

"Let me try it. I learn better by doing things than having them shown me," answered Atem.

Yugi sat down on the bed while Atem awakened the PC. He began by double clicking on the UT icon. Atem watched the game's loading screen, then flinched when the music started to play, quickly muting it in the game's settings, much to Yugi's disappointment.

"This game rocks," said Yugi. "The object's beautifully simple: you kill people before they can kill you. Jou got me into it."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Atem snorted in amusement.

He clicked on deathmatch and watched as a list of different maps was loaded and scrolled the menu until he hit DM-Osiris and clicked it. The map loaded and showed a beautiful, but quite desolate Egyptian tomb with several statues of the jackal head god, Anubis.

Atem clicked the mouse button and the game counted down to start. When it started, there was an explosion of activity as the players spawned and went for weapons. Atem was in action instantly, picking up the Shock Rifle and shooting shock globes toward a bot that came at him with a minigun, then setting off the shock combo by shooting the beam at them.

As he watched his Other master this game so easily, Yugi saw the old arrogant and aggressive aspect of him from their dueling days gradually emerge.

"Take that, bastard!" Atem barked, a feral grin crossing his features.

' _So you are still in there, Other Me,'_ Yugi thought with a small smile.

Atem leaned forward, eyes riveted on the screen as he got deeper into the game. Fingers flying across the keyboard, he moved swiftly and efficiently to shut down anything that challenged him with glittering crimson orbs and shouts of invectives from his clenched jaw.

"I don't think so!" Atem barked, grinning from ear to ear.

Yugi watched as Atem continued to play, fragging and being fragged in turn. To say that he was astounded by how well Atem was doing with his first time playing would be an understatement. At the end of the last map, the Pharaoh pressed the keys to make his player do the victory dance.

"Wow! You're so awesome!" said Yugi. "I got my ass handed to me for a whole hour before I got my first frag. How can you be so good your first time playing?"

Atem turned to Yugi with a warm smile and caressed the younger man's cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

"I had an excellent teacher," he answered warmly.

"Huh? But I never…"

Yugi's protest was cut off as Atem leaned into him, capturing his lips in a brief kiss, before resting his forehead against Yugi's, eyes boring into the younger man's as his lips quirked up in a warm smile.

"Why don't we download some MP3s now?" Yugi suggested suddenly.

With a nod, Atem shut down the game and promptly fired up KaZaa.

"Hey, how'd you know what to do?" Yugi asked.

Pointedly ignoring Yugi's question, Atem typed in a band's name and hit Enter. Within seconds, thousands of hits showed up on the screen.

He stole a glance at Yugi.

"Is this legal?"

"Strictly speaking, no. But everybody does it," said Yugi with an innocent smile.

"Ha ha!" laughed Atem as he clicked on a song for download.

Yugi and Atem spent the next hour downloading and listening to songs from different bands.

"Thank you, Partner! I really enjoyed myself!" Atem said at length, gazing over at Yugi with mirthful irises as he exited KaZaa and broke the connection.

"Any time, pal. Go ahead and use it whenever you want, unless I'm on it of course," said Yugi.

"Hn!" nodded Atem, swivelling around in the chair.

Just then, his gaze was drawn to the butsudan, causing the smile to fade from his features as he remembered the wave of sorrow that had broken over him earlier. Slowly, he rose from the chair, approached the small, wooden shrine and knelt before it.

"Yugi… may I?" he inquired at length, to which Yugi nodded.

Atem pulled the doors open, his eyes falling on the memorial tablet with his name inscribed on it.

Yugi felt tears pricking at his eyes again and blinked rapidly as he fingered the cartouche around his neck. He saw Atem's gaze turn to him, as if the Other had sensed his rush of emotion. Yugi approached his Pharaoh and, slipping the cartouche from around his own neck, put it around Atem's neck, fastening it in the back.

Atem's hands grasped Yugi's arms, sliding down them until their hands met. Holding Yugi's hands in his own, the Pharaoh gave a gentle squeeze and smiled at his Partner.

"Why don't we dismantle this shrine to the dead together and get on with the business of living?" he suggested in a low voice.

Yugi nodded as a small smile lit his eyes.

Moving carefully and respectfully, Yugi and Atem began pulling everything out of the butsudan and then carried it from the room when it was empty.

* * *

 _That night…_

"Wanna take your shower first?" Yugi asked as he gathered his PJs.

"No. You go ahead. May I 'surf the Web' while I wait?" asked Atem hopefully.

"Sure," said Yugi as he headed for the door.

While Yugi showered, Atem had a fine time exploring the Web. He looked up stuff on Ancient Egypt and other ancient civilizations and was both amused and appalled by what he read.

' _What are some of these so called historians_ on _?'_ he thought disdainfully.

Just then, Yugi came back, now clad in blue PJs. Atem noted that Yugi had only been gone for 15 minutes instead of the hour he had always taken in the old days. Had he skipped the bath?

"Your turn," he said. "Don't worry. There's plenty of hot water left. Don't forget to drain the bath when you're done."

"Mm!" was Atem's response as he collected one of Grandpa's too-large robes that Yugi had laid out for his use.

After showering, Atem uncovered the deep bathtub and stuck his toes into the water and flinched. It was hot!

' _Honda wasn't joking when he said the Japanese like their baths hot,'_ he thought, remembering snatches of idle conversation he had picked up while residing in the Puzzle.

Moving slowly, he put his foot into the water, then gradually lowered himself in, allowing his skin to adjust to the heat. Once he was in, Atem closed his eyes and tilted his head back, breathing in the warm moisture. The heat and moisture fogged his mind and loosened his muscles, relaxing him from head to toe.

' _By Ra, I wish we had had such luxuries in Kemet,'_ he thought idly.

As he sat, Atem allowed his thoughts to wander and his senses to listen to everything around him. He heard the sounds of Yugi clicking and typing on his computer for a while. Soon, the typing stopped and Atem heard footsteps exiting the room and walking the length of the hall to open the door next to the bathroom's.

' _Grandpa's room,'_ Atem's foggy mind lazily supplied.

After a few more minutes, Atem decided that he was waterlogged enough and pulled the cork to drain the tub before rising and finding his towel. After toweling himself off, Atem donned the robe and went to find his Partner.

Yugi knelt before Grandpa's butsudan and opened its wooden doors. He struck the singing bowl, sending a chime to heaven, then folded his hands and closed his eyes. He stayed this way for a long time, as this was the first time in days he had been able to perform this oblation and felt he owed it to Grandpa to apologize for his extended absence.

' _Grandpa, sorry for being away so long. Everything's been crazy the past few days. Atem's back! I don't know how it happened, but he's here, in this house, as alive as me! Everything's gonna take some getting used to, but I'm so glad he's here. I hope you're happy in the afterlife. I miss you…'_

With a sigh, Yugi closed the wooden doors again. No matter if Atem said that his wish for Atem's return hadn't caused it, Yugi refused to wish for his grandfather's return. He would not be selfish a second time.

Unseen by the young tricolor, an ancient Pharaoh stood in the doorway, keeping a silent vigil over him.


	10. Slight Relapse

_A/N: Lemon at the end. You have been warned._

 _Getsuyobi, Monday, July 22, 2002_

Atem stood in the door, watching as the younger man ran about the room like the proverbial beheaded chicken, shedding the shorts and t-shirt he had slept in, fishing out new clean clothes and pulling them on while he jumped around.

"Don't you want breakfast?" he inquired as he watched Yugi's antics in amusement.

"No time! I'm gonna be late to open the shop!" Yugi cried. "See ya later!"

With that, the younger man went tearing down the stairs as though the place were on fire.

' _Ra's chariot!'_ thought Atem as he followed Yugi out of the room at a more casual pace.

When he came downstairs, he found that Yugi had already gone into the game shop. Following the sounds of stuff being clattered about, he found Yugi in the stockroom, going through different boxes.

"I was supposed to get all this crap on the shelves before opening up! I completely forgot!" he cried in horror as he opened boxes with one hand, while clutching the clipboard in the other. "I've only got five minutes!"

That is until he felt the clipboard being gently lifted from his grasp. Yugi looked up into Atem's face, which was a mixture of amusement and concern.

"I'll take care of this. You go get ready to open the shop," instructed the Pharaoh.

"Um… are you…"

"I'll figure it out. Go," said Atem, giving Yugi a gentle push toward the door.

"OK… thanks," Yugi said shyly before going out into the shop.

Atem looked over the clipboard, then read the labels on the packages and began unpacking what he saw must be unpacked. This done, he wheeled out as much as the dolly could carry and began stocking the shelves.

Yugi watched his Other at work, grateful for the offering of help.

' _He's only been back for a few days and already I wonder how I ever managed without him,'_ he thought.

A quick glance at the cash register.

' _Whatever I make today, he gets half,'_ Yugi thought resolutely.

Yugi turned around the open/closed sign on the door and unlocked it, then sat behind the counter to wait for some customers. While Yugi was doing this, Atem was in the stockroom, double checking the latest inventory.

* * *

The day passed peacefully with the sun shining and a pleasant breeze blowing in through the open door. Customers came and went steadily through the day, many of them elementary and middle school students, since summer vacation was in full swing. Yugi answered their questions, rang them up and bid them good day as they exited.

During intervals between customer visits, Yugi would venture into the back rooms to watch Atem. He always found his Other lifting heavy boxes and counting items on shelves, in perpetual motion, with no complaints. As Atem continued to work steadily, Yugi couldn't help but worry a little, as this was only his second day out of bed.

"Do you wanna take a break?" he would sometimes inquire.

To which Atem would smile lovingly and reply, "I'm fine."

After which Yugi would stand staring at him until the sound of the bell would summon him back to the front.

Later in the afternoon, Yugi was stashing more money in the cash register, when he heard a soft thud and what he guessed to be some muffled Ancient Egyptian swear words.

A nauseating sense of deja vous washing over him, Yugi slid down from the stool and hastened to the stockroom, where he found Atem sitting against the wall, fingers laced through his bangs, a pained look on his face. At his feet lay a box that he had been attempting to stack.

"Atem?" he asked anxiously as he proffered his hand.

"I'm… alright," Atem groaned as he accepted Yugi's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "I just dropped…"

"No, you're not alright! If you were alright, you wouldn't have collapsed like that. You're taking a break right now!" Yugi said, eyes widening and voice rising in panic.

"Are you… putting me to bed?" Atem asked, staring incredulously at Yugi even as he tried to get the room to hold still.

"Yes, my Pharaoh, that's _exactly_ what I'm doing," said Yugi, matching the firmness of his voice with the steel in his gaze.

Stunned by the resolve in Yugi's voice and gaze, Atem gave Yugi's hand a squeeze, then turned and ambled unsteadily into the house.

Yugi watched as Atem went, the unpleasant deja vous roiling his stomach. After Atem was gone, Yugi knelt down, picked up the box and stacked it where it belonged.

' _Damn it! I knew it was too soon for him! If he pushes himself, he'll just get sick all over again. I failed with Grandpa; I won't make the same mistake with Atem,'_ Yugi thought as he returned to the shop. _'I know he's gonna hate this, but I'm getting him into the doctor!'_

Yugi pulled out his phone and found his family doctor, Choushinki-sensei in his contacts and placed the call.

"Yes, I'd like to make a doctor appointment for my roommate, Akhnumkanun Atemu…"

* * *

Yugi spent the next few hours running on autopilot. The doctor's office had been booked until the 27th, so until then, Yugi would simply have to keep a sharp eye on his Other.

Finally, when 3 o'clock rolled around, he decided to close up early and go check on Atem. After turning the sign around and locking up, Yugi hastened back into the house and upstairs.

Opening the door, he peaked in, seeing Atem lying on his stomach under the covers. The Pharaoh's deep, steady breathing was the only sound to be heard in the room and also the only thing that could slow Yugi's racing heart down.

' _He'll be alright. He just needs time,'_ Yugi thought as he shut the door and went to his room to check online for a bit.

Yugi headed into his room and fired up his computer. After everything was loaded, he plugged in his headphones and began listening to some MP3s he had downloaded off KaZaa in the past few days. Hanging out so much with Jou had gotten Yugi thoroughly into heavy metal, so the teen now sat air guitaring and headbanging as the ungodly din wailed in his ears.

Presently, as he was typing away in a text-based RPG and still bobbing his head up and down to the music, Yugi felt a pair of arms encircle him from behind. He froze for just a second before relaxing as he felt that familiar warmth. Pausing the music and pulling off the phones, he turned around to stare into rose petal eyes.

"Are you OK?" he blurted out.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Sorry if I scared you," said Atem gently, squeezing Yugi's shoulders.

Yugi smiled and squeezed the arms encircling him so protectively.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I just don't want you pushing yourself and getting sick again," he explained.

Atem brought Yugi's hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles, eyes never leaving Yugi's.

"You hardly yelled," his voice rumbled. "What sort of game is this?"

"Oh," said Yugi, turning back to the computer. "It's a text-based RPG, where each player plays a different character and we all go on adventures and fight wars and stuff like that. Sit on the bed and I'll show you."

Atem sat on the bed and read through the text that Yugi and the other players had posted so far.

"If you like, I can set you up with a character and you could play too," said Yugi.

"Yes, I'd like that very much. Thank you," said Atem.

After Yugi had Atem signed up, he gave the computer up to the Pharaoh, who spent the next few hours wandering about through different virtual worlds and interacting with people online. He conquered every level and led some epic battles, all in an imaginary world contained in a white screen and black text.

* * *

Before they knew it, it was 6 PM.

"I'll go start din…" Atem said as he headed for the kitchen, only to be blocked by Yugi.

"Oh, no you don't! I'll order us something," Yugi said firmly. "You sit and watch TV."

With an amused snort and roll of his eyes, Atem went into the living room and sank down onto the couch.

Yugi went over to the phone and ordered a Thai stirfry for them. After hanging up, he sat down with Atem to wait.

"If it takes longer than half an hour to get here, it's free," he said with a smile.

"Yugi, I could have cooked us dinner. I'm not an invalid, you know," Atem pointed out.

"I know you aren't. But just take it easy till tomorrow. If you're OK tomorrow, I'll stop coddling you," said Yugi.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I can live with it," said Atem as he leaned into Yugi's space, running his tongue along the carotid artery in Yugi's neck.

"At… ah, ooooohh," Yugi slurred as he felt himself turning boneless in the face of Atem's affection.

The Egyptian proceeded to kiss Yugi along his neck, his jaw, then moved up to suck on an earlobe. Meanwhile, a pair of hands worked their way up under Yugi's shirt to caress the pale flesh that reposed beneath the fabric.

When Yugi felt Atem's thumbs and forefingers brush up against his nipples, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise and delight.

"Haa aah!"

Atem smirked at Yugi's reaction.

"Mine," the Pharaoh hissed in the younger man's ear, making Yugi's entire body tingle.

"Yours," Yugi returned promptly, only to gasp again as Atem's thumbs and fingers began pinching and rolling his nipples. "Haaaaa aaaaah!"

Atem hooked the hem of Yugi's shirt in his hands and pulled it up to Yugi's neck, exposing the younger man's body for his exploration. Lips and tongue immediately latched onto a nipple and gave suck.

"Ooooh, Atem!" Yugi cried out, digging his fingers into the Pharaoh's ponytailed hair.

Atem bit down gently on a nipple, causing a small yelp from Yugi, then immediately soothed it by laving it with his tongue. The Pharaoh worked his way steadily down Yugi's body, making a trail of kisses down to his navel, where he thrust his tongue into the hole and swirled it.

"Oooooh, gaaaa, Atem!" Yugi cried as he squeezed the Egyptian's hair in his hands.

Atem continued slowly and steadily downward. Long fingers ran slowly the hem of Yugi's jeans as he moved to undo the button.

 **knock knock knock** from the side door.

"Ra damn it!" barked Atem, pulling up and glaring death into the kitchen.

"Dinner's here!" Yugi said as he hastily sat up, pulling his shirt back down.

With an apologetic glance toward the livid Atem, Yugi ran to answer the door, with Atem following at a more leisurely pace, deep frown marring his handsome features.

After thanking the deliveryman, Yugi closed and locked the door and stepped up with the ordered stirfry, its spicy odor filling the room and making his mouth water.

"I dunno about you, but I'm starving," Yugi said as he hastened to the table.

Atem stared intently at the younger man. He was hungry too, but it wasn't his stomach that cramped and knotted up on itself. However, he couldn't deny that the stirfry smelled great, so he silently forgave the deliveryman and went to set the table for their dinner.

"Thanks for the food!"

Yugi wasted no time in picking up his chopsticks and sailing into his stir-fry. One mouthful of shrimp and vegetables after another was crammed in, quickly chewed and inhaled.

Poor Atem was genuinely taken aback by his companion's hurried dining habits.

' _Does he even taste it?'_ the Egyptian wondered as he casually lifted a mouthful and took it.

The tenderness of the shrimp exploded on his tongue and he closed his eyes and chewed it slowly, enjoying the taste that danced on his tongue.

' _I think seafood and I will get along nicely.'_

As they ate, Yugi suddenly remembered something. The money! He had told himself that he would give half of each day's earnings to Atem since the Pharaoh had helped him to run the store before his collapse.

"Be right back!" he announced, jumping up from the table and tearing back into the shop.

Before Atem could even formulate a reply, Yugi was back, cash box in hand. He opened it and carelessly dumped the money onto the table.

"What are you doing?" Atem inquired.

"Counting. Forgot earlier," replied Yugi.

' _Ma'at's feather!'_ Atem arched an eyebrow.

Yugi counted out the money and made out ¥102865.95.

"Not bad!" he said happily.

Then he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote out a division problem. When he was finished, the take was divided into two even halves of ¥51432.975 each, one of which he unceremoniously shoved into Atem's hands.

"Yugi?" the Pharaoh asked, confusion written all over his face.

"Whatever profit we make from the shop, I'm giving you half," Yugi announced. "That's yours. Take it!"

"But, I didn't…" Atem began.

"No. I want you to take it. You helped me out today, so this is yours by rights. Don't worry about leaving early; I made you do that. If you're willing, I'd like you to run the shop with me, share the work, share the profit. Fifty-fifty," proposed Yugi.

As Atem looked down at their hands, Yugi's words rang true. Now that he had a separate body, he would need to be able to make his own way in the world. He had little other skill to speak of, other than gaming. As long as he worked in the game shop, he wouldn't have to feel like he was a burden to Yugi. He raised his incarnadine irises to Yugi as a smile spread slowly across his features.

"Partners it is," he said as he allowed Yugi to fold the money into his hands.

As Yugi went to pull away, Atem pulled Yugi's hands up to his lips and began planting tender kisses along his knuckles. Yugi froze and stared at the spectacle of the handsome Egyptian worshiping his hands with his lips. A pretty rubicon tint leapt into his cheeks and his eyes went as dark as eggplant.

When burning crimson eyes met his gaze and a sultry smile spread on the Pharaoh's countenance, Yugi felt that explosion of warmth in his core.

' _Correction. This is way beyond anything I_ ever _felt for Anzu,'_ Yugi thought as he stared into those beautiful ruby eyes that seemed to see right into his soul.

"Now that we've both sated our hunger, shall we pick up where we left off?" Atem purred.

"OK…" squeaked Yugi.

In a trice, he was up in Atem's arms as the Pharaoh carried him bridal style back to the couch and laid him on it. When he felt those long, warm fingers slip under his clothes to caress his skin, he closed his eyes as his world exploded in flame.

" _Paiå!"_ Atem growled

" _Paik!"_ Yugi returned promptly as he looked into Atem's loving gaze.

" _Meriu!"_ Atem purred, eyes glowing with love for the younger man.

" _Āa mertu!"_ Yugi returned, earning another grin from the Pharaoh.

"Ahh. Hearing my ancient tongue from your mouth stirs my blood," Atem purred, hands sliding down once again to caress Yugi's nether cheeks.

Scrunching his face up from the unusual and delightful sensations, Yugi reciprocated, appreciating the feeling of lean, hard muscle that rippled beneath the burnished skin of his Egyptian lover, over which his hands now traveled.

"Will you teach me?" he asked softly.

"It would be an honor, _meriu_ ," Atem answered, fingers reaching the button of Yugi's jeans.

* * *

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, July 23, 2002_

When Yugi opened his eyes, he saw, much to his consternation, that the rain had returned with a vengeance.

"Ugh! Really?!" he groused.

"Looks like Ra has decided to hide his face from us today," Atem's voice rumbled next to him. "No matter. I'll make breakfast."

"There's no point in opening the shop today," said Yugi sourly.

"Then we can spend the day together, doing whatever you like," said Atem as he stood up and retrieved the clothes he had laid out last night.

At those words, Yugi looked up, eyes lighting. Maybe rainy days weren't that bad.

' _Plus, it'll give Atem another day to rest…'_

While Atem made breakfast, Yugi set two places at the table, then sat down to wait, eyes on his Pharaoh the whole time. No matter how often he saw him, heard his voice or even lay in his arms, part of Yugi still couldn't truly believe that his Other was back for good and all.

Presently, Atem returned with two plates of breakfast scraped together from the last of Jou's leftovers.

' _I'll have to go shopping soon.'_

"Thanks for the food."

As he bit into the food, Yugi's eyes widened at how tasty it was. From the first, Atem's dishes had definitely been palatable, but now Yugi realized that this one was absolutely delicious.

' _Atem's cooking's better than Grandpa's now,'_ he thought as he chewed, actually taking time to taste the food instead of just shoveling it in.

After breakfast, the tricolors ventured into the living room and turned on the TV to see if there was anything on. Atem flipped through the channels, not really finding anything of interest, while Yugi leaned up against him, head pillowed on the Pharaoh's shoulder.

Finally, he came on a station showing an anime and leaned forward a bit, interest piqued.

"That's a good one," said Yugi. "Not as good as the manga, but that's normal."

Atem fell into watching the anime, which was about a small, cute swordsman with a cross shaped scar on his left cheek. Having only seen anime a scant few times through Yugi's eyes, this was a new experience for Atem, who watched as one in a dream. Yugi, having seen this anime already, let his eyelids slide shut and fell into a doze, listening to the pelting of the raindrops, head pillowed on Atem's shoulder.

When the anime ended, Atem shut off the TV and looked over at Yugi, from whose mouth a rivulet of drool now ran, soaking the shoulder of his shirt.

' _Ugh, Yugi…'_ he thought with a wince as he gave a gentle shake.

" _Meriu_ , c'mon, wake up…" he said.

"Eh?" asked Yugi, eyelids cracking open as raised his head.

"The show's over. Do you want to do something else?" asked Atem.

"Yeah… Sleep…" muttered Yugi, eyelids sliding shut again.

"Might we download some more MP3s?" Atem asked by way of saving his shirt.

"Oh, yeah! There might be some new ones," said Yugi, standing up.

In Yugi's room, the tricolors fired up KaZaa and searched for music from Destruct System and Baal.

When they tired of downloading multi-megabyte MP3s over dialup, Yugi fired up UT.

"Wanna play?" he asked.

"Not right now. You go first and I'll watch," decided the Egyptian.

"Cool!" said Yugi as he clicked to spawn.

Atem sat on Yugi's bed and watched Yugi hammering away at the bots on his UT server. Yugi's movements were quick and efficient and the game's AI really couldn't keep up with him and got blown away each time by Yugi's happy fun balls. Tiring of watching the game for a bit, Atem glanced about the room until his eyes came to rest on a book he hadn't noticed before. The thickness of it intrigued the Pharaoh, who stood from the bed and went to pick it up.

"May I look at this?" the Egyptian inquired.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," said Yugi with an absent glance from his computer.

Atem leafed through the pages, checking all the information he came across.

Just then, the game announced the entry of Dog of War.

"Oh yeah!" said Yugi gleefully as he started stalking the map, seeking the unfortunate canine.

While Yugi got about the business of schooling Jou, Atem stretched out on the bed and plowed steadily through civilizations long gone.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong… Pure fantasy…" he muttered as he perused the accounts, wrinkling his nose in disdain.

"You sure?" asked Yugi as he ended another map. "The archeologists and historians of Domino University are very thorough in their research."

Atem shot an affronted glare at his young partner.

"You would take their word over _mine_?" he hissed.

Seeing that he had offended his Pharaoh, Yugi promptly shook his head.

"Thank you…" said Atem acerbically.

Yugi returned to the game as he and Dog of War spawned on the next map. He continued fragging and being fragged with different weapons until Atem suddenly sat bolt upright on the bed next to him.

"My name…" he gasped, eyes wide in astonishment.

Upon hearing these words, Yugi stopped playing and turned his attention to the Pharaoh, who sat staring at page 200 of the history book with such wide eyes that Yugi couldn't help but hold his breath.

"Yugi, had you a hand in this?" Atem asked, turning his gaze full on Yugi.

Yugi lowered his head and nodded guiltily, not even noticing that Dog of War had just respawned.

"Isis and Professor Yoshimori helped. I just… hated the idea of you being totally left out of history," he explained.

The Pharaoh blinked. Then a warm smile spread across his features and his eyes glowed like twin fires as he reached out a hand, gently caressing Yugi's cheek.

"Oh, Yugi. To go to such trouble for me, you are _so_ good. Thank you."

Yugi blushed and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. His eyes flew open when he felt warm lips colliding softly with his.

Pausing only to set the book aside, Atem gently lifted Yugi from the chair and rolled him onto the mattress, hands gliding up under the younger man's shirt to seek out the sensitive flesh beneath.

' _Oh… my… gods…'_ was the last thing Yugi was able to think before all reason abandoned him.

Meanwhile on the computer…

Dog of War: **yugi where r u?**

Dog of War: **wt hpnd y dnt u fire me?**

Dog of War: **y the hell dnt u respawn?**

Dog of War: **fine b tht way im goin 2 bed!**

Dog of War had an aneurysm.

* * *

 _Suiyobi, Wednesday, July 24, 2002_

Atem's eyes opened to the sunlight streaming in through the window. He rolled over, a fond smile gracing his features at the sight of Yugi lying next to him, curled in on himself like a pill bug. The Pharaoh leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the younger man's forehead, into which Yugi leaned. A glance at the clock showed that it was 7 AM.

After stretching himself out like a great big house cat, the Pharaoh rolled out of bed and approached the window, where he stood for several minutes, palms raised toward the sun, letting Ra's life giving light flood into his body and quicken his blood. At length, he strolled boldly out of the room, clad in nothing more than his skin, toward Yugi's room to "borrow" more of his Partner's clothes for the day.

Atem cast a longing glance at the leather goods that seemed to be calling him. However, it was simply too hot out for leather to be a good idea. Instead he chose a simple blue t-shirt and denim shorts. Again, his spiky hair was pulled back into a cute little ponytail at the back of his head.

' _I swear I just get better looking with each passing day,'_ Atem thought as he admired himself in Yugi's small mirror.

After his morning walk, behold Atem in the kitchen, leafing through the recipe book. Presently, he stumbled upon a Russian breakfast that looked rather daunting. Crimson irises glinted; Atem had always enjoyed a challenge.

The recipe required ingredients which weren't available to Atem, such as a cheese called Tvorog. However, there were some other cheeses in the fridge, so the Pharaoh decided to make do with those. Kielbasa was substituted with ham and the seeded rolls with regular. Following the directions, Atem soon had everything heating, making modifications as necessary for the change in ingredients.

With breakfast well underway, Atem turned his attention to the staircase. The first day, Yugi had come tearing down the stairs. Last night, they had been up rather late, so Yugi might not be so quick this morning.

The minutes ticked by until another 15 minutes had passed and it was now 7:45. Atem adjusted the temperature to keep everything warm and waited a bit more. After 15 more minutes, he decided it was time to rouse the sleeping beauty upstairs.

Atem found Yugi lying on his back, head thrown back in the abandon of sleep, complete with a rivulet of drool coursing down his right cheek. The Pharaoh snorted in amusement and shook his head at the sight, wishing that he had a camera of his own to capture this unguarded moment. With a sigh, he shook Yugi's shoulder gently.

"Yugi, time to wake up. Breakfast is waiting," he said softly.

"Nnneeugh… Not now, Gram'pa… I graj'wated," Yugi slurred, rolling over so that his back was to Atem.

' _Grandpa?'_ thought the Pharaoh with another amused snort.

"Not Grandpa, Atem," he gently corrected with another shake.

"Go 'way," Yugi slurred.

' _Alright, Partner. Have it your way,'_ Atem thought, a wicked smirk spreading across his features as he slipped his hands under the blanket, seeking out Yugi's sensitive skin.

As soon as his fingertips found purchase, he began sliding them lightly over Yugi's skin, feeling as it rippled under his exploring touch.

"Ah! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Atem! Ha ha ha ha! What are ha ha ha ha! you doing?! Ha ha ha ha!" Yugi yelped as his eyes flew open and his body began squirming under the Pharaoh's roaming fingers.

"Eight o'clock. Time to rise if we're to have the shop open by 9. Breakfast awaits," replied Atem as he stood back up.

"You have strange ways of waking people up," groused Yugi as he stretched out and rolled out of bed.

"You weren't responding to the normal methods," was Atem's smart reply.

For a moment, Yugi glowered at the Pharaoh, but then let it go with a sigh.

"What country today?" he asked.

"Russia," answered Atem.

"Oh, boy! Ham!" cried Yugi as he bounded for his room for some clothes.

"Ha!" Atem chuckled before heading back downstairs to attend to the food.

Yugi was downstairs and at the table in only five minutes.

' _Is he that hungry?'_ Atem wondered as he served up the breakfast.

"Thanks for the food."

Yugi began shoveling his food in so fast that it seemed as though he didn't even chew it.

' _Guess that answers_ that _question,'_ Atem thought as he began his meal at a more sedate pace.

After breakfast, the tricolors went to work in the store again, Yugi opening up and minding the register while Atem drifted about in the background, doing everything necessary to keep things running smoothly.

Whenever there were no customers, Yugi would float into the back rooms and talk with Atem as he worked, violet eyes seeming to devour the Egyptian as he moved from one shelf to another, watching for any sign of faltering on the Pharaoh's part. Only the jingling of the front door bell could tear Yugi away from his Other.

The day proceeded normally, with no signs of relapse for Atem. However, unlike yesterday, he did stop for a break when he got tired, so perhaps this was the reason.

* * *

 _That night…_

Yugi hastily closed the bathroom door behind him. Was he late for anything important? No. As most Japanese, he took his shower and bath in the evening. Simply put, he wanted to get his shower out of the way and then get a few hours of online gaming before going to bed.

Hanging up his pajamas, he stepped down into the bathing area. Yugi turned the knobs until hot water erupted from the sprayer. He picked up the sprayer from its hook on the wall and began dousing himself with hot water, from the tips of his spiky hair to the tips of his toes. Soon, his hair hung down over his shoulders, water cascading from the ends in heavy torrents.

Grabbing the shampoo bottle, Yugi went to pour a dollop into his hands. However, because he was in a hurry, he didn't take the time to grip it carefully and it slipped out of his wet hands, hitting the tiled floor and bouncing off it.

"Damn it!" he swore as he knelt down to pick up the shampoo.

The site of another pair of bare feet standing before him and the feeling of a strong hand staying his made him stop and look up. Before him, in all his unabashed glory stood Atem, muscles rippling beneath bronze skin as the Pharaoh casually stooped down and picked up the shampoo bottle, as though walking in on people showering were a daily habit for him.

Yugi gulped and stood where he was, quite immobilized by the Pharaoh's hypnotic presence. He couldn't even offer any protest as Atem squirted a dollop of shampoo into his right hand and set the bottle back on the rack. Nor could he protest when Atem put his free hand on his left shoulder and guided him to sit on the small plastic stool, then squatted down behind him, so that Yugi's back touched the Pharaoh's chest.

All thought of protest or question fled Yugi's brain when he felt those long, strong fingers on his scalp, beginning to work the shampoo into every last tendril of tricolored hair. A delicious tingle exploded in Yugi's being, causing his body to tremble. As long minutes passed, Yugi fell into a half doze even as he sat, his back to Atem's chest as the Pharaoh took his time, rubbing the shampoo thoroughly into his hair. Long after the shampoo had been worked in, Atem's fingers remained, gently massaging Yugi's scalp, back, front, sides, then all around.

Finally, Yugi felt Atem's left hand under his chin, tilting his head back as the sprayer was clicked on and hot water ran forcefully through his hair, washing away all the shampoo. As with the lathering, Atem took his time, spraying the water through Yugi's hair, picking up handfuls of it and spraying them, before he turned off the water and hung up the sprayer. The entire procedure was repeated with the conditioner.

Atem worked the sprayer way down until Yugi's back was nice and damp. Stopping the flow, Atem set the sprayer back on its hook, then grabbed the soap, which he quickly worked into a lather in his hands. Not even bothering with a cloth or any kind of lathering aid, Atem started massaging Yugi's shoulders with soapy hands.

Yugi still couldn't move or speak. His senses were heightened and everywhere that Atem touched tingled with icy fire just beneath his skin. The Pharaoh's strong hands took their time massaging the soap onto the skin of Yugi's shoulders, moving with gentle centripetal motions, soothing away any tension they came upon.

Yugi gasped as Atem's hands worked their way down his spine, now pressing in more deeply, massaging and lathering him simultaneously. He bit out a groan as Atem's fingers found a rather painful knot. Atem paused here, pressing in deeply to rub the tension out of that spot. Yugi gave a yelp and attempted to pull away, but was stayed by the Pharaoh's left hand on his shoulder.

Yugi remained still and as the massage continued, the pain gradually abated as his muscles relaxed under Atem's touch. Yugi felt his head droop forward. Atem's hands continued down until Yugi's eyes flew open again when he felt those wonderful fingers massaging soap onto his twin globes. Yugi's cheeks turned tinted pink as the Pharaoh continued his work.

Then, just as Yugi was at the height of his enjoyment, the massage was over and the hot spray returned, chasing all the soap from his backside. Atem ran the sprayer over Yugi's back three times, to be sure he had removed every last drop of soap.

Holding Yugi's body flush against his, Atem proceeded to spray Yugi's chest, stomach and limbs. Finished, he hung the sprayer up again, lathered his hands, then wrapped them around Yugi's neck and began lathering it in small circles, starting just under Yugi's jaw and moving slowly down the younger man's slim neck, moving with only the gentlest touch so as not to alarm Yugi.

Indeed, Yugi was past being alarmed. Lost in the sensation of those strong, yet wonderfully gentle hands around his neck, Yugi's eyes fell closed and he relaxed completely, trusting his Pharaoh implicitly.

At this gesture of trust, a tender smile graced Atem's features as he continued his work at a slow, almost languorous pace.

Finished with Yugi's neck, the Pharaoh removed his hands (much to Yugi's disappointment) and lathered up once again. He then began working on Yugi's chest, moving in slow centripetal circles and stopping several times to pinch and roll Yugi's nipples, which caused the younger man to shiver and whimper under his touch. It felt so good, almost too good, overwhelming his senses. Eyes rolling back in their sockets, he let out a groan from the back of his throat.

Atem felt Yugi's throaty moan vibrate through his whole body, heating up his inner core and causing a slight twitching in his nether regions. Unable to resist the urge to do so, he lowered his head and bit gently into the juncture of Yugi's neck and left shoulder, drawing a gasp from the young man pressed against him. Atem swirled his tongue in a soothing circle over the skin he had just bitten.

Then Atem's hands were on Yugi's stomach, moving in slow sensual circles around his navel. When a soapy finger dipped into the small hole, Yugi's whole body shuddered against Atem's. With a deep chuckle, the Pharaoh continued his ministrations at a slow, languorous pace. Strong hands smoothly glided over and caressed Yugi's skin, very gently massaging muscles residing just beneath.

Then they were traveling lower, lower. Yugi's hips bucked involuntarily as Atem's hands came dangerously close to that area. However, to his great disappointment, they passed and continued with a sure and firm touch down his thighs, moving around, coating every inch of them in soap. Each leg was gently lifted and soaped, the Pharaoh's hands traveling slowly down, kneading thigh and calf muscles as he went.

Yugi's feet were given special attention, with Atem's forefinger lathering between each of Yugi's toes, taking the time to gently pull on his big toes, which caused Yugi to throw back his head and groan in ecstasy.

Then those hands were tracing up, up, up, past the kneecaps over the thighs, closing in on that special area. Atem shifted his heated gaze over to Yugi's large, luminous violets, begging the question. A small smile from Yugi was all the consent Atem needed and not a second later, Yugi felt himself being caressed intimately. As fingers lovingly enfolded him and slipped something back, a jolt of heat burned through his body, causing him to fall breathlessly back into the hard body of the Egyptian.

A deep, reassuring chuckle reached his ears as he felt water, not soap, being rubbed onto his sensitive skin, fingers alternately caressing, stroking and squeezing. Yugi bit his lower lip to hold back a groan, but only partially succeeded. When he felt a finger caress the slit on his head, he lost control.

"Haaa-aaaah!"

Yugi was distracted by a set of lips sucking on his earlobe while those hands continued their intimate work, now moving back to caress the twin globes. These were lifted and wetted by gently caressing hands and rubbing fingers.

"Ooooo aaaaaaaaaaa ooooooooooooo!"

Wrapping an arm around Yugi to steady him, Atem caressed Yugi's rigid desire in his right hand and began a series of long gentle strokes, while his left hand continued to caress the younger man's sac.

"Oooooooooo Ateeeeeeeeemmmmm… Ooooooooooooo!"

Unable to focus properly, glazed over violet eyes were scrunched shut as Yugi was lost in all these sensations that the Egyptian was visiting upon him. He had only set out to take a quick shower and was now on the verge of passing out. The two hands continued their slow, steady work, further and further undoing Yugi, wave after wave of warmth breaking over him.

The hand stroking his rigidity gave a few stronger squeezes and sped up the tempo just a bit while the hand caressing the globes gave a tighter squeeze. These movements completely broke Yugi's control as a wave of heat engulfed him and he felt his essence shoot from his tip as his entire body collapsed against the hard body behind him.

"Aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggghhhhh!"

Poor Yugi was only saved from a complete wipeout by the strong arms that held him up. Quite the next moment, he heard the soft click of the sprayer being turned on and felt the warm spray against his skin as his Other proceeded to wash the evidence of his pleasure from his body.

"Heh heh heh. Looks like you enjoyed yourself, _meriu_."

Yugi heard Atem's words distantly, but wasn't quite able to register them, still reeling from all the intense sensations he had been bombarded with. Now he heard the sprayer click off again and felt himself being lifted into his Other's arms.

"A… tem?" he slurred.

Not responding, Atem carried Yugi over to the bathtub, already filled with hot water and gently deposited him in it. Yugi was grateful to feel the hot water hit his skin.

As he watched, Atem prowled back over to the shower area, picked up the sprayer and doused himself head to toe in hot water. After washing his hair, he picked up the soap and proceeded to slowly and sensually run it over every inch of his body in subtly sexual movements, casting several not so surreptitious glances Yugi's way.

As Yugi watched, he found himself hardening again at the spectacle before him that was Atem showering. Despite being drained and sated, he felt the flame kindling anew in his core. What manner of effect was this Egyptian having on him?! It was as though he were taking something as mundane as showering and turning it into an erotic dance!

The rinse off proved not to be a letdown from the soaping, Atem taking far longer than necessary to run the spray over every inch of skin and prolonging his work on certain areas, so that Yugi's eyes would see every inch of him being cleansed.

The warmth in Yugi's core slowly boiled up to molten heat as the now thoroughly rinsed Atem stalked over to the bathtub, a sultry smile breaking on his features as he saw violet eyes thoroughly fixed on his form. The Pharaoh climbed into the tub so that he was seated across from Yugi, ruby irises smouldering with love for the younger man. Yugi's lips slowly quirked up in a smile.

Yugi leaned forward and settled himself against Atem's chest, enjoying the feeling of the firm muscle under him.

Atem wrapped his arms around Yugi's supple form as the younger man snuggled against him. Closing his eyes in contentment, he rested his chin on the crown of Yugi's head and let himself relax completely.

Yugi relaxed into Atem's embrace, pillowing his cheek against the strong chest. Absently, his hands traveled lower, snaking down Atem's stomach, feeling muscles quiver underneath in response to his touch.

Atem's eyes were closed in a light doze as he enjoyed the feeling of the hot water on his skin, the steam in his nostrils and most of all, the warm, lithe body ensconced in his arms. Heavy eyelids cracked open at the feeling of delicate hands traveling oh so lightly over his skin, tickling his stomach every now and then, causing him to squirm a bit at the touch.

' _The little tease. Has he any idea what he's doing to me?'_ Atem thought as his earlier desire began to rekindle in his core.

The feeling of one of those gentle hands suddenly enveloping him in a silken embrace caused his body to shake. Crimson eyes opened and looked down into soft violets, which gazed up questioningly at him, just as the soft hand gave a single experimental stroke.

"H-aaaah! Yugi…" Atem gasped.

Violet eyes absently looked down, but immediately took notice of the evidence of Atem's desire under the water. It was the same as what Atem had done to him several nights ago. With a soft smile, Yugi decided he would reciprocate. Without hesitation, he wrapped his left hand around his Other's length. When he felt the strong body quiver, he looked up into a pair of fevered rubies.

Yugi began stroking the stiff pole, using slow, deep strokes, as Atem had done on him in the shower, listening appreciatively as Atem's breath began to come in gasps and pants, his body rigid under Yugi's touch.

Atem felt his reason rapidly draining away under Yugi's innocently sensual touch. Each stroke caused him to come more and more undone. He found himself writhing as the slow, deep strokes continued.

As the heat built more and more, Atem felt his head turning side to side involuntarily, teeth gritted and face taut in ecstasy.

"Gaaaaaah aaaaaaah!" he cried as it started to hit him.

Yugi felt the organ in his hands pulsating as it readied to expel its payload. The body under his ministrations writhed as it desperately sought release.

A quick glance at Atem's face showed that Yugi's touch was having the desired effect as the Egyptian's head twisted from side to side, eyes scrunched tightly shut, pharaonic pride cast aside long ago.

Smiling sweetly, Yugi gave one final, long stroke while taking a deep breath and plunging his face underwater. His lips wrapped around the straining organ and with two good pulls, felt it pulse as white essence came shooting out of the tip. Swallowing the urge to gag, he forced himself to take Atem's seed down his throat while the Pharaoh screamed his release, the cry muffled not one iota by the water that currently engulfed Yugi's ears.

Entire body quaking and straining, eyes scrunched shut and head thrown back, Atem never saw Yugi's head disappear underwater. Instead he felt, felt as the hands left him in agony for just a split second before something warm and wet wrapped around him. With two strong pulls, the last of his control snapped and he exploded.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It seemed like everything inside him went gushing out into the wet cavern that now serviced him, pulling him deeper and deeper in. The warm tingling feeling shot through him, from the crown of his head to the curled up tips of his toes and for a few seconds, he was enveloped in warmth and light, floating, blissfully conscious of a wonderful, light feeling softly caressing him.

' _I guess that answers_ that _question…'_

Yugi swallowed and swallowed, running his tongue along the vein on the bottom of the organ to encourage it to give all it had. It gave that and more. By the time it was dribbling its remnants, Yugi's face was turning blue from lack of oxygen. Swallowing the last few drops, he disengaged his mouth from the now flaccid length and broke the surface just as his lungs forced him to breathe.

"Hyaaaha!"

Breathless violets locked with exhausted and exultant crimsons and a pair of smiles were exchanged before Yugi leaned forward and met Atem's lips with his own, allowing the Pharaoh to taste his own essence in Yugi's mouth.

"Oh, Yugi," said Atem with a warm, languid smile as he wrapped his arms around his young partner. "You're as full of surprises as the Sahara is full of sand."

Yugi's response was a good firm hug around Atem's neck, which Atem gladly returned, caressing the back of Yugi's head as he did so. The feeling of the Pharaoh's hands caressing the back of his head and the small of his back loosened him, making him go boneless in his Other's arms.

"Mine," Atem whispered into Yugi's ear.

"Yours," Yugi returned as he closed his eyes and lost himself in the warmth and security of Atem's arms.

Yugi never did get to his online games that night.

Atem shut off the light and climbed into bed next to Yugi. After pulling the sheet over both their forms, the Pharaoh wrapped his arms around the young duelist and pulled him close.

" _Paiå meriu,"_ Atem whispered.

" _Paiå nefer perah,"_ Yugi replied back, cheeks burning so hot that he thought they must be visible in the darkness.

"Ha ha ha! Good night, _meriu_ ," Atem murmured, planting a kiss on the crown of Yugi's head.

"G'night, Atem," Yugi murmured, burying his face against Atem's chest.

Sighing in their contentment, both young men gave themselves over to sleep.


	11. A Visit to the Doctor

_A/N: (("Ancient Egyptian speech."))  
NSFW lemon at the end of the chapter. You have been warned._

 _Mokuyobi, Thursday, July 25, 2002_

Yugi and Atem exited the city bus at their stop: the grocery store. Now that Atem was well and had all his necessary ID, it was high time to restock the household food reserves. Hand in hand, the tricolors made their way down the sidewalk, ignoring the stares of passersby, some of whom seemed to have a hard time with public affection, especially between two guys.

Atem's eyes darted around the huge parking lot, full of more cars than he could possibly count. The whole scene felt just a bit too big for a man who had grown up in the arid deserts of Kemet, which had been populated by horses, asses, oxen, carts and chariots… and the camels; those snarling, spitting ships of the sand dunes.

As noisome as camels had been, cars were infinitely worse. They went way too fast, made too much noise and-Atem wrinkled his nose as a car drove by-their exhaust was a most foul concoction!

' _How do people bear this?'_ he thought unhappily as he and Yugi began walking toward the store.

Atem and Yugi made their way into the building, their paces matching perfectly as they moved forward. After they cleared the first set of sliding doors, they were greeted by the sight of the lined up shopping carts along with the noise of them being banged around as people pulled them out for use or pushed them back in when they were finished with them.

Yugi pulled out the one nearest to them.

"You wanna push or should I?" he asked.

Atem's eyes widened with indignation.

' _I? Push a cart?!'_ he thought, but immediately checked himself. _'You're not a Pharaoh in this time; just a regular man…'_

"Yes, I'll push it…" Atem mumbled, stepping forward and taking the cart from Yugi's hands.

As soon as they had walked through the second set of sliding doors, they were hit by a blast of cold air as they stepped into the store's chilly environment.

"Osiris!" Atem swore as he started shivering all over.

"Now you know why I made you bring that flannel," teased Yugi, referring to the red and black checkered shirt tied around Atem's waist.

"Indeed," muttered Atem as he hastily untied the flannel's sleeves and pulled it on, grateful for the warmth it offered.

A somewhat less cold Atem fell in behind his Partner, pushing the shopping cart along. As they went forward, shelf after shelf, all laden with different foodstuffs, revealed themselves to the boys' eyes. Nothing daunted, Yugi moved forward to pick out whatever struck his fancy. Atem, on the other hand, stopped and stared, as one in a thrall.

"By Ra… so much food in one place," he whispered breathlessly as his eyes took in all the foods, many of them unfamiliar to him.

"Atem!" Yugi's voice recalled Atem sharply to reality. "Stop daydreaming and bring the cart over here!"

"Sorry," Atem murmured as he hurried to catch up with Yugi, who had already started pulling food off the shelves.

As item after item was dropped into the cart, Atem noted that it was all chips, candy, pop and ice cream. The Pharaoh cast a longing glance toward the fresh fruits and vegetables reposing on their shelves, the overhead lights glinting off their shiny, red, green, yellow and even purple skins. Sadly, Yugi passed these by without so much as a sideways glance.

' _Well, why not? After all, I have my own money. Yugi can buy what he likes and I'm free to do the same,'_ Atem thought as he went and grabbed some lettuce, celery, carrots, onions, daikon and purple potatoes.

The tricolors met up at the basket at the same time, Atem with his vegetables and Yugi with a tub of double chocolate ice cream. Violet eyes widened at the sight of the green in Atem's arms.

"Vegetables, Até?" he asked in surprise.

"Vegetables, Yugi," Atem answered serenely. "Don't worry. I'll buy them myself."

"Eh, OK," said Yugi indifferently. "Oh, boy! M&M cookies!"

' _Ra help me,'_ Atem thought as he put the greens into the cart.

The two proceeded down the aisles, each getting what he wanted, until at last, they reached the checkout line. Yugi loaded his junk food onto one and Atem loaded his fruit and vegetables and some beef he had spotted onto another.

After paying for their groceries, Yugi and Atem exited the store and went back to the bus stop, at which the next city bus was just pulling up. The tricolors entered, paid their fare and sat down for the short trip home.

* * *

 _Kame Game Shop_

Once they were home, Yugi and Atem began putting everything away, Atem taking the items out of the bags and Yugi putting everything where it went. When they finished, Yugi grabbed a big bag of Beef Consomme Doritos and a Mountain Dew and went for the couch.

Atem wrinkled his nose after Yugi, but said nothing. Instead, he went for the recipe book in the cupboard. After leafing through Grandpa's recipes, Atem found a Spanish dish called _escalavida_ that would use his vegetables along with the beef they had also bought. The ancient one fired up the burners and put everything to cook.

As Yugi sat crunching on Doritos, the deliciously spicy smell of roasting beef and vegetables began to tickle his nostrils, causing his mouth to water. Suddenly, the corn chips didn't seem as appetizing as they once had and Yugi found himself finishing the last one in his hand off and closing the bag up.

"Yugi! Dinner!" the deep voice called from the kitchen.

Yugi jumped up and tore into the dining room, taking his seat as Atem brought everything over. The sound of the beef and vegetables sizzling in the skillet filled Yugi's ears as the spicy scent continued to tease his olfactory sense. However, he forced himself to wait patiently as Atem dished everything up, put the skillet back and sat down to his own food.

"Thanks for the food!"

Yugi picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes widened as the spicy taste exploded on his tongue, almost sending him rocketing into the ether. Convinced that vegetables were sometimes worth eating, Yugi sailed into his dish.

Watching the younger man eating, Atem smiled to himself, glad that he had found a way to get Yugi to eat something healthier than junk food.

* * *

 _Kinyobi, Friday, July 26, 2002_

' _After we've eaten, I'm taking Yugi out. So far, I've only been on these walks, to the park and the grocery store. There's a whole world out there, calling me to see it, and I intend to,'_ Atem thought as he rounded the last corner of the block and headed back to the game shop.

Once inside, Atem started preparing breakfast until the stove clock showed 8 AM, time to drag a certain sleepyhead out of bed. With a smirk that bode no good Yugiward, Atem filled a cup with ice from the fridge's ice maker and made his way upstairs.

Lying on the Pharaoh's bed, limbs tangled in the sheets, Mutou Yugi was dead to the world. Setting down the cup, Atem grasped Yugi's shoulder and gently shook him.

"Good morning, _meriu_ ," he said softly.

"Mmmgh… go 'way," Yugi slurred, swiping at Atem's hand.

 _'Oh, good. That means I get to_ play _,'_ Atem thought.

The Pharaoh plucked an ice cube from the cup, pushed under the blanket and traced it lightly over Yugi's bare chest.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Yugi yelped, seeming to leap ten feet into the air.

' _I swear he jumps higher every morning,'_ Atem thought in amusement.

"Good morning, _meriu_ ," the Pharaoh repeated.

"Atem! You are such an ass!" Yugi cried.

"Be grateful I'm not, or I would have kicked you out of bed," corrected Atem. "Breakfast awaits."

Before Yugi could speak another word, the Pharaoh exited magnificently from the room, leaving a rather vexed tricolor in his wake. With a huff, Yugi retreated to his room to get dressed.

After changing, Yugi thumped his way down the staircase just in time to see Atem serving breakfast. After saying their _itadakimasu_ , the tricolors tucked in.

"Let's get out of the house today. I don't know about you, but I believe I'm feeling… cabin fever, I think it's called…" Atem proposed.

"Ha ha! Yeah, me too! Definitely!" agreed Yugi. "I'm thinking it's high time we took a trip to the mall."

"The mall?" echoed Atem incredulously. "Whatever for?!"

"Clothes," Yugi answered. "We need to get you some of your own."

"I'd rather have my teeth yanked out than go clothes shopping," fumed Atem, crossing his arms.

"Speaking of teeth, there's a walk-in dentist office about two blocks away. We should probably get your teeth checked just to be on the safe side…" Yugi mused.

"On second thought, clothes shopping sounds fine," Atem quickly amended.

"Promise?" asked Yugi.

"…Yes…" glowered Atem.

"Great!" said Yugi, whipping out his phone to email Jou.

* * *

Atem and Yugi, both clad in shorts and tank tops, sat at the kitchen table with the side door unlocked, awaiting the familiar screech of tires and the honk.

 _SCREECH!_

 _HONK! HONK!_

At these sounds, they stood, stepped down into their sandals and went to the red convertible. Since it was a sunny day out, the rag top was down and Jou was wearing shades.

"Hey, dudes!" he greeted with a wave.

"Hey, Jou!" returned Yugi happily as he leapt over the door and into the front left seat.

"Thanks for picking us up," said Atem as he leapt into the backseat.

"No prob," said Jou as he flipped the car into gear and peeled out. "Where to first?"

"The mall," answered Yugi.

"Yugiiii," whined Atem in a last ditch attempt.

"You promised," pointed out Yugi.

"Oh, fine!" pouted Atem, jaw jutting out to show his displeasure.

"Ha ha ha! What, you goin' clothes shoppin' or somethin'?" Jou asked the sullen Pharaoh.

"It's time for Atem to start his own wardrobe," explained Yugi with a fond smile into the back. "He's a bit big in the chest for my clothes and my shirts are getting stretched."

"Hmph!" sulked Atem, crossing his arms petulantly.

"Lookit it dis way, Temu," Jou tried. "If ya gitcher own clothes, ya kin look howevah ya want, instead a just copyin' Yugi. Ya kin be yer own dude."

Crimson eyes looked up at the two smiling faces, one looking back at him, one looking at him through the mirror. That was indeed true. Perhaps it was time for him to take his first steps in this new world as Atem Akhnumkanun, instead of Other Yugi.

"Alright," he said with a small smile, uncrossing his arms and turning to look at the scenery whizzing by.

As they drove, Jou flipped on the radio, causing heavy metal from bands such as Maximum to the Hormone, Sand and of course, Church of Misery to blast out of the speakers. Poor Atem nearly jumped out of his skin as his sensitive ears were assaulted by the bombastic noise of the electric guitars and screamed lyrics; Yugi and Jou too busy headbanging to even notice.

Gritting his teeth, Atem had to block his ears with his fingers to be able to bear with the ride at all.

' _How do they listen to this screeching noise without destroying their hearing?'_ he wondered as he cringed.

Unmindful of the poor Pharaoh suffering in the back, Yugi and Jou headbanged and screeched out what words they could understand as songs of death, graveyards, war and the end of the world played themselves out over the speakers.

As they lost themselves in the music, Yugi and Jou laughed and played air guitar, their heads banging in perfect sync with the beat. Presently, Yugi finally remembered Atem sitting in the back and turned to comment to him about the currently playing song, only to find the poor Pharaoh hunched over with his fingers in his hears.

"Oh, crap!" he yelped, quickly turning down the radio.

"Hey, man!" whined Jou.

"It's hurting his ears," said Yugi, jerking his head back at Atem, who was just now cautiously pulling his fingers from his ears.

"Eh? Oh, sorry, dude" said Jou.

"You OK, Até?" asked Yugi, leaning back to look the visibly shaken Atem over.

"Mm," Atem managed a nod. "Go ahead and play your noi… music."

"OK. We'll keep the sound down though," conceded Yugi, giving Atem's hand a squeeze.

"Thank you," said Atem with a small smile as he returned it.

At length, they arrived at Domino Mall, where Jou shut the car off and the three of them jumped out.

"Here we are: Domino Mall. Land of a thousand-'n'-one ovapriced stores," joked Jou as they started forth.

"Can't you haggle with the merchants?" asked Atem.

"Dude, dis is a mall, not a desert bazaar," said Jou disdainfully. "Wutcha see on da tag is wutcha pay."

"Seems to me your malls could take a hint from our desert bazaars," commented Atem with equal disdain.

"He's got us there, Jou," laughed Yugi.

"Wutevah. Let's just git in 'n git on wit' it," said Jou with a roll of his eyes as they headed for the doors.

* * *

 _Domino Mall_

From the moment they entered the large, crowded mall, poor Atem's senses were so bombarded by the sight of so many stores and people all under one large roof, and all the noises echoing off the walls, that his heart began to race in his chest and he actually had to grasp Yugi's arm to ground himself and keep from fleeing back to the car.

"Easy, Até. It's alright. It's alright," Yugi soothed the agitated Egyptian in a soft voice as he gently stroked Atem's bare arm. "I know. This place is way too big and noisy. Just listen to my voice and look at me. Let everything else fade into the background."

Atem fixed his eyes on Yugi's face, trying to focus solely on his voice and filter everything else out.

"Take some deep breaths, dude," suggested Jou.

Atem took several deep breaths and gradually got his bearings, but would not disengage from Yugi's arm. Fortunately, as they were in a large, crowded place, no one really took notice of the obvious contact between the two young men, and the trio started forward unmolested.

"OK. We'll go straight to the clothes store. It won't be so bad in there," said Yugi, with a soothing pat on Atem's hand.

A trembling Atem could only nod. The noise was just awful and he felt like the crowd was pressing down on him from all sides. Heart palpitating like a jackhammer, he walked rigidly between the other two, keeping his eyes fixed squarely on his hand clasped in Yugi's, the only thing grounding him at this point.

Fortunately, they found a clothing store and stepped in. Inside the smaller, more intimate environment, cut off from the larger, louder chaos of the mall, Atem was able to get his bearings. As his heart rate began to decrease, he stood taller and disengaged his hand from Yugi's, taking in the large selection of clothes before him.

"I can really choose anything I want?" he asked in a whisper, like a young child visiting the toy store for the first time.

"It's your money, so it's your call," replied Yugi with a smile.

With a small smile, Atem nodded and stepped from Yugi to go make his first 21st century purchases.

As Atem went to choose what he wanted, Yugi watched him with a loving gaze. In the more intimate atmosphere of the clothes store, Atem was quite his own man again, happily perusing the racks and picking out what he liked.

' _All of it black and red, of course,'_ Yugi thought with an indulgent smile, as he remembered his Other's penchant for anything with black leather, buckles and chains.

"Dude still loves his goth shit," snickered Jou.

"Oh, leave him alone, Jou," chided a smiling Yugi.

Presently, Atem returned to them with several black and red articles of raiment slung over his arms.

"I've found what I want. Now what?" he asked.

"Now you have to try it on," answered Yugi, gesturing to the fitting rooms.

"What? Oh, alright," groused Atem, anxious to simply buy what he wanted and get away from this accursed mall.

"That way you'll know what you're getting will fit. There's no sense in getting something you can't wear," pointed out Yugi.

"As you say," conceded Atem as he went for the fitting rooms.

Yugi watched Atem go, then cast a quick glare at the snickering Jounouchi.

"It's like watchin' a motha 'n her li'l kid," grinned the blond.

"I dare you to say that to his face," retorted Yugi as he crossed his arms, causing Jou to fall silent, though the shit-eating grin remained.

Presently, Atem came out with the clothes he had picked. He held up one t-shirt that he had liked, frowning.

"This one is too small," he announced dolefully, looking as though his world were coming to an end because one article of clothing wouldn't fit.

"Do the others fit?" Yugi asked, carefully concealing the amusement from his face and voice.

Atem nodded.

"OK. Give me the ones that fit," Yugi instructed as Atem handed the clothes to him. "Clothes usually come in different sizes. Just take that shirt back where you got it and pick out another like it."

As soon as Atem had retreated to the racks, Yugi and Jou dissolved into a fit of laughter.

After Atem had made his purchases and everything was secured in a big bag, crimson eyes fell on a makeup shop just across the mall from the clothes store.

"I'm going there next," he said with a nod to the makeup shop.

"A makeup store? But'cher a _guy_!" protested Jou.

"Thank you so much for the information," quipped Atem before heading out.

"Ancient Egyptians wore makeup," explained Yugi.

"Even da guys?!" yelped Jou.

"Yeah, even the guys," said Yugi. "I just hope he doesn't go overboard."

As it was, Atem didn't go overboard. He did, however, buy himself plenty of kohl eyeliner.

After new clothes and eyeliner, it was time to find footwear. Again in the crowded, noisy large area of the mall, Atem clung to Yugi's hand and forced himself to breathe deeply and stare at the floor in front of himself. He noticed that it wasn't quite as difficult this time, perhaps because he knew more what to expect now. Still, Atem was glad when they reached a shoe store.

Atem looked the different shoes over with little interest. Finally, however, a pair of black hightops with silver trim did catch his eye. Atem plucked the shoes off the shelf and stepped into those. He walked around, feeling their stiffness, but also how surprisingly comfortable they were.

' _These are certainly nicer than what we wore in my time,'_ he thought.

"I'll take these," Atem announced at length.

"Cool," said Yugi.

After Atem made his purchase, he rejoined his waiting friends.

"Are we done here?" he asked hopefully.

Yugi thought for a second.

"Uh, we should probably get you a jacket. It'll be fall pretty soon. We can hold off on winter coats until November, but you'll definitely want something more than just a flannel pretty soon," said Yugi.

Just then, Atem noticed a leather goods shop across from the shoe store.

"And I know just where to get one," he said, stepping around Yugi and Jou to head for the store.

Atem raised his eyes to look at all the different boots reposing on the shelves. His eyes shone when they fell on a pair of Doc Martins Phina knee-high boots adorned with buckles.

Removing his sandals, Atem stepped into the boots, which he had already unbuckled. After he rebuckled the boots, he began walking around the store. The new leather felt stiff and uncomfortable. But Atem knew that was just temporary and would work out the more he used them. Plus, there were leather softeners one could buy and rub into the boots to help soften the cowhide.

' _These will do nicely,'_ he thought with a satisfied smirk as he unbuckled and stepped back out of the boots.

Boots clutched safely in his hand, Atem began looking at the different leather jackets hanging from the racks, all very tempting. However, he knew what he was looking for. Finally, his eyes fell on a biker jacket with spikes sticking out all over the shoulders, also adorned with many chains and buckles.

As they watched, an openly grinning Jou held out his hand, into which a scowling Yugi deposited ¥5,000.

"Love da boots," grinned Jou. "We gotta git 'm into a Church of Misery concert wit' us some time. He'd be a sight."

"Good luck. He's so stubborn," muttered Yugi.

"No, Yugi. If I were stubborn, I wouldn't have come here in the first place," Atem's voice cut in on Yugi and Jou's conversation.

The two looked up and saw a glaring Atem standing before them, bags dangling from his wrists.

"Oh! Hi, Até!" said Yugi brightly.

"Are we done here?" asked the Pharaoh, patience beginning to wear thin.

"Ummm… yeah," smiled Yugi.

Without another word, Atem whirled about on his heel and strode ahead of the other two into the large main area, head held up proudly.

"Looks like he's ova his mall phobia," snickered Jou.

"Well, that's a relief," said Yugi. _'I'm so dreading tomorrow…'_

* * *

After the mall, the trio made their way to Burger World with Atem's purchases stuffed in the car's trunk and the metal playing at a moderate level. Tired from his shopping expedition, Atem relaxed against the side of the car and watched the scenery whizzing past them, only half listening to Yugi and Jou's headbanging to the offkey caterwauling they called music.

At last they were at Burger World, the restaurant with its large glass windows and mustachioed hamburger mascot sitting atop the arched entrance.

The trio sat down at a booth and a waitress promptly approached to take their order.

"Two burgers, large fries 'n large Coke," Jou promptly ordered.

"Cheeseburger, large fries, and large Coke," Yugi ordered.

"One hamburger and an iced tea," Atem answered when the waitress' attention turned to him.

When the trays were set down before them, Yugi and Jou tore into their burgers and fries, devouring like a pair of hungry dogs. Disgusted at the spectacle beside him, Atem turned his attention to his own food. First, he pried the bun partway off the burger and inspected it, finding nothing objectionable between the buns. Satisfied that it was edible, he brought it to his lips and tried a ginger bite.

Not bad! Smiling to himself, Atem began chewing, enjoying the taste of the meat, ketchup, mayo, mustard and cheese that mingled on his tongue and hit his taste buds with a thousand new flavors at once.

Sneaking some of Yugi's fries, he found that these were good too; lovely golden brown sticks of hot salty goodness, hinting a slightly earthy taste.

' _I guess twenty-first century food isn't all bad,'_ the ancient one had to admit to himself. _'Just that junk Yugi likes so much.'_

"I'm gittin' anotha burger!" announced Jou abruptly.

"Me too. One cheeseburger's never enough," agreed Yugi.

Jou and Yugi's extra burger and cheeseburger were bought and consumed within about three minutes. Poor Atem, only halfway through his burger, could hardly believe the velocity at which Yugi and Jou consumed their food.

' _Do they even bother to chew?'_ he wondered in disdain as he bit into his own burger.

"I'm still hungry. Just one more cheeseburger," grinned Yugi.

"Speak fer yerself. I'm gittin' two more hamburgers," announced Jou.

"Then I'll get two more cheeseburgers. Waitress!"

' _Where do they put it all?'_

"Hey, Yuge, ya remember when dat escaped convict busted in here 'n took Anzu hostage?" Jou piped up suddenly.

"Uh, vaguely," answered Yugi. "I don't really remember much though."

"Oh, yeah. Dude blew himself up wit' smokes 'n vodka. What a moron!" laughed Jou.

"Really? Oh, my gods!" smiled Yugi.

Unseen by the two friends, a grim smile passed over Atem's face at the memory. He was an entirely different person from the broken, amnesiac _thing_ that had first emerged from the Puzzle. And while he certainly felt remorse for most of the things he had done in that state, he felt none whatsoever for this particular incident. Somewhere, in the deepest recesses of his heart, he could feel the old darkness stirring just a bit. That part of him would always be there, just as his pharaonic days and dueling days would. All these different selves made him the man he was today.

Shifting his weight a bit in the booth, Atem forced his mind to the present and listened to the rest of Jou and Yugi's conversation, which thankfully had switched from past reminiscence to video games.

* * *

 _That night…_

"No!" barked Atem, eyes narrowed in anger, unusually directed at Yugi.

"Atem, yes!" Yugi shouted back. "Listen to me! You're in a mortal and vulnerable body, just like the rest of us. You have to take care of yourself!"

"I was never sick a day in my life when I was Pharaoh!" Atem bit out.

"There are diseases in this time that could kill you while just making me a little sick," Yugi protested.

"How so?" asked Atem.

"Because your 3,000 year old body has no immunity. Like the flu, for instance. I'd get a fever and the chills and be OK in a few days. You could die," Yugi pointed out.

"That wouldn't happen!" Atem growled, jaw jutting out defiantly.

"If I show you on the Internet, would you believe that?" Yugi asked, feeling like he was getting nowhere with his stubborn Other.

Atem considered a moment.

"Perhaps… If you can offer me a convincing argument," he said.

"OK. C'mon," said Yugi, leading them up to his room.

Once in his room, Yugi brought his computer out of sleep, dialed into the Net and ran a search for different viruses. Some of the pictures were quite graphic, showing people with sores and blisters on their skin. Atem's eyes widened at the sight.

"All of these could've been prevented if the people in these pictures had been vaccinated," Yugi explained desperately.

"Why weren't they then?" asked Atem.

"Because many of them live in countries where they can't get good healthcare. We're lucky. Japan has a great healthcare system. You never have to get these diseases, but you have to get vaccinated!" Yugi pleaded.

"Well, if Japan has such great healthcare and everyone else is vaccinated, then why need _I_ be vaccinated? Surely, everyone else around me is healthy," Atem argued.

"Because there are lots of foreigners too and not all of them are vaccinated," Yugi explained, hoping against hope to crack Atem's stubborn heart and get him to understand.

"I remain unconvinced," said Atem, crossing his arms and glaring at his Partner.

' _He's as stubborn as Grandpa!'_ Yugi thought in frustration.

Grandpa… during the long months he had coughed, Yugi had asked him several times to go to the doctor to get it looked at. Always Grandpa had smiled and dismissed Yugi's concerns, saying he was fine or was just getting old. And things obviously hadn't ended well for Grandpa.

As Yugi stared into defiant ruby irises, the old pain of Grandpa's death flooded over him, welling up in a bubbling geyser of frustration at one very stubborn Pharaoh. Clenching his fists, Yugi met Atem's stubborn glare with an openly angry glare.

"Atem, you can argue and threaten your way out of a lot of things, but when it comes to your health, I'm not backing down. One way or another, you're going!" Yugi barked back.

Taken aback by the harshness of Yugi's tone and the directness of the younger man's glare, Atem felt something in him wither and lowered his gaze, letting go of the argument, for now.

"10 AM," Yugi said in a no-nonsense voice.

"I heard you the first time," growled Atem before stalking to his room and shutting the door solidly.

Yugi sighed, his quick anger fading away, only to be replaced by hurt from his Other's attitude. Well, there was no help for it now. After everything was over, they were sure to make up. Yugi and the Pharaoh had seldom argued and even when they had, had never held a lasting grudge against each other.

With a sad glance toward his door and a heavy sigh, Yugi changed into his PJs and got into his bed to sleep alone for the first time in a long time.

* * *

 _Doyobi, Saturday, July 27, 2002, 9:55 AM_

Yugi and Atem made their way into the small medical clinic. Yugi's eyes kept darting behind him to his still very sullen Other, who walked with his jaw jutting out his arms crossed defiantly. With a sigh, Yugi looked forward again. Not a word had been spoken at breakfast and Yugi suspected that the burned tempura had been anything but an accident on Atem's part.

' _Well, we're here now, so let's just get this over with,'_ Yugi thought as he opened the office door to admit his reluctant Pharaoh.

While Atem sat down on one of the chairs and crossed his legs in a further show of defiance, Yugi made his way to the nurses' window.

"May I help you?" asked the attending nurse.

"Akhnumkanun Atemu is here for his 10 AM with Choushinki-sensei," replied Yugi.

"Alright. And you're his…" the nurse inquired.

Yugi spared a glance back at Atem, who was openly glaring at him.

"I'm his… translator. He doesn't speak much Japanese," Yugi said lamely. "I'll sign him in."

"I see. He's lucky to have a friend like you," said the nurse.

"Er, yeah," said Yugi, feeling the heat of that pointed stare on his back.

Yugi wrote Atem's name and their appointment time down on the patient roster, then went to sit down with a seat between him and his stubborn Other. Yugi spared a glance to his side and read the indignant defiance in Atem's rigid profile.

' _I've never seen him like this before and I hate it,'_ Yugi thought.

"Atem…" he began.

Atem stubbornly turned his back to Yugi, shoulders rigid and head up arrogantly.

"Fine…" sighed Yugi.

The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, Yugi trying in vain to find distraction by looking at some months-old magazines and fiddling with his phone, Atem sitting rigidly, arms and legs crossed, the whole time, never moving a muscle, except for his eyes constantly darting about the room.

After a seeming eternity, the door opened and the nurse that Yugi knew upon sight as Nurse Chuushaki poked her head out.

"Akhnumkanun Atemu?" she called.

Atem stood up rigidly.

"Want me to come with you or wait?" asked Yugi.

"This whole thing was _your_ idea. You are definitely coming!" hissed Atem.

"OK…" said Yugi, standing up and falling in behind Atem.

Nurse Chuushaki led the tricolors through a corridor and to a small room with a black exam table with a strip of crinkly white paper on its surface, two chairs and a sink.

"I'll need you to undress down to your underwear and put on this gown. It ties in the back," Nurse Chuushaki ordered, pulling a gown from a cupboard and putting it on the table.

As Nurse Chuushaki exited the room, Atem turned an irate glare on Yugi.

"That's normal, Até," Yugi reassured. "Here…"

Yugi went for the button to Atem's shorts, but the Pharaoh turned away from him.

"I can do it myself," he said indignantly.

Yugi smiled sadly. He knew Atem was mad at him and anxious with this whole situation, but it was a necessary evil. Atem's health was of paramount concern to Yugi now, far outweighing any temper tantrum the Pharaoh might throw. Besides, Atem wouldn't stay mad at him forever; he never did. Yugi watched appreciatively as Atem stripped down to his boxers, folding each article of clothing neatly and piling everything on the chair, hightops reposing under the chair with socks stuffed in them.

' _He's so beautiful.'_

Atem slid his arms into the gown and reached behind to tie it. Alas, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get the stubborn ties to come together.

"Damn it!" Atem snarled in frustration.

Yugi flinched. When Atem switched to Ancient Egyptian, that meant he had one nerve left and it was perilously close to snapping.

"Here," said the teen gently, stepping up behind Atem and tying the upper and lower ties to properly hide his backside. "These can be really hard to tie."

When Yugi pulled back, he saw Atem gazing at him with eyes softer than they had been of late. When Atem saw that Yugi was looking at him, however, he quickly narrowed his gaze and looked forward again, still wanting to show his displeasure with this whole situation.

Yugi sighed and smiled patiently. He wasn't going to let Atem's moods get to him. This was for Atem's good, even if the stubborn Pharaoh couldn't see it.

Just then, Nurse Chuushaki came back in.

"OK. We'll get started by taking your vitals," she said, pulling out and shaking a thermometer. "I'm going to put this under your tongue. Leave it there for a minute."

For a moment, Atem looked like he might defy Nurse Chuushaki. Then with a sigh, he opened his mouth and allowed Nurse Chuushaki to place the thermometer under his tongue.

"While we're waiting for the thermometer, I'll check your blood pressure," said Nurse Chuushaki. "Arm."

A deeply frowning Atem held out his left arm and allowed Nurse Chuushaki to wrap the cuff around it. She squeezed the bulb several times, tightening the cuff around Atem's arm. Just as he was about to spit out the thermometer and start swearing at her in Ancient Egyptian, Nurse Chuushaki released the cuff and the tightness receded.

"Ninety-eight point six. Normal temperature. Now if you'll follow me into the hall, we can get your height and weight," said Nurse Chuushaki.

With a grunt and a shrug, Atem slid down from the table and sauntered into the hallway after Nurse Chuushaki, Yugi following close behind, ready to intervene should Atem try anything, like attacking Nurse Chuushaki or making a break for it.

Atem stepped up onto the platform while Nurse Chuushaki pushed the weights on the scales until they balanced.

"190 lbs," Nurse Chuushaki announced as she pulled out a ruler, which she touched to the crown of Atem's head.

Because Atem's normally gravity defying hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the ruler touched the actual crown of his head and revealed his height as no more than 5'3".

' _Though his ego and charisma make him seem ten feet tall,'_ Yugi thought with a loving gaze toward his gowned Pharaoh.

Atem had stepped off the scale and was starting back toward the exam room, when Nurse Chuushaki held out a clear plastic cup with a blue top on it for him. Atem glared at her in confusion.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" he growled.

"You pee in it, sweetheart," said Nurse Chuushaki, pointing to the bathroom.

"What?! Why?!" Atem barked.

(("The doctor wants to look at your pee under a microscope,")) Yugi explained, stepping into the breech.

(("Yugi, this place is sick. First they almost squeeze my arm off and now they want to take my piss and look at it under a microscope?!")) Atem asked.

(("Yes. There are certain diseases they check for that way,")) Yugi explained.

Sweeping Yugi and Nurse Chuushaki with a scornful glare, Atem snatched the cup from Nurse Chuushaki's hand and stalked off to the bathroom, whose door he slammed behind him.

"Sorry about my friend. He just moved here," Yugi explained lamely.

Soon enough, a still quite wrathful Atem emerged from the bathroom with a nearly full bottle and tossed it carelessly to Nurse Chuushaki. Fortunately, he had put the cap on tightly, so there was no spillage.

"Now we have to take an x-ray of your chest. If you'll just follow me," said Nurse Chuushaki as she labeled the sample with Atem's name.

Atem turned to Yugi.

(("They want to look inside your chest,")) Yugi explained.

This explanation didn't produce the reaction Yugi had hoped it would. Instead, Atem's eyes widened, taking on a wild light. Too late, Yugi realized his mistake.

(("They want to cut me open?!")) he almost screamed.

(("No, no! Atem, I'm sorry. I didn't word it right. They shoot invisible rays through your chest so they can see inside you. It's like how the microwave works,")) Yugi answered.

' _Oops…'_

(("They mean to burn me with radiation?!")) Atem cried, placated not one iota by Yugi's explanation.

(("It's a very low level, not enough to hurt you. You won't feel any pain at all. I've had x-rays here before and you know there are no scars or burns on my chest,")) Yugi explained.

This seemed to do the trick in that it got Atem to huff an annoyed sigh and follow Nurse Chuushaki to the x-ray lab. Once they were in the lab, Atem looked about, seeing a screen and a thing that looked sort of like a camera across the room from it.

"Atem, I'll need to hold onto your jewelry while they're taking the x-ray. It interferes with the machine," said Yugi, holding out his hand.

(("Don't lose them!")) Atem growled, even as he slid the rings from his fingers, unclipped his bracelets and upper arm bands and earrings, finally unclasped his cartouche from around his neck, and handed them to Yugi.

"If you'll step this way, please," said Nurse Chuushaki in a no-nonsense voice.

With a final scowl Yugiward, Atem stepped forward and stood where Nurse Chuushaki showed him, before the screen, facing the large camera like machine.

"Take a deep breath and hold!" Nurse Chuushaki instructed.

Atem sucked in a deep breath and held it. Imagine his surprise when no lasers or fire came out of the machine to burn a hole in his chest. There was a brief click and then.

"Turn to your right side."

Swallowing his annoyance, Atem obeyed the directive.

"Deep breath and hold."

Atem took another deep breath and heard the brief click once again.

The procedure was repeated one last time from the other side.

"We're all done here. Head back to the exam room and the doctor will be with you shortly," instructed Nurse Chuushaki.

After snatching his jewelry back from Yugi and donning it, Atem sauntered out of the x-ray lab, followed by a bemused Yugi.

* * *

Back in the exam room, with Atem once again sitting rigidly on the exam table, arms and legs crossed, Yugi smiled at him. Atem glanced at him, blinked, then narrowed his eyes and looked away again.

With a small sigh, Yugi looked toward the door, hoping Choushinki-sensei would come in soon, as he was anxious to get out of this place and make up with Atem as soon as possible.

As if the fates had read his thoughts, there was a knock and the door opened, revealing Choushinki-sensei himself, a middle aged doctor with black hair that had some gray at the sides and glasses before his wise brown eyes.

"Hi, Choushinki-sensei," said Yugi happily.

"Yugi, how have you been?" asked the doctor.

"Just fine," said Yugi.

"And you must be Akhnumkanun-san?" said Choushinki-sensei.

Atem's scowl only deepened as his suspicion at this too-friendly doctor increased.

"Uh, he's from Egypt and doesn't speak much Japanese," Yugi said quickly. "I'll translate between us."

"Alright. Well, the first thing I'll do is look in your eyes and ears," the doctor began, pulling out a penlight.

With Yugi watching to keep Atem from revolting against the doctor, Choushinki-sensei shone his penlight into Atem's ears, nose and finally, his eyes, at which point Atem blinked his eyes and pulled back from the bright light.

"Atem…" Yugi said in his firmest voice.

After flashing Yugi a dirty look, Atem sat still and permitted the doctor to shine the light into his eyes.

"I must say, you have a unique eye color, Akhnumkanun-san. I've never seen crimson eyes before," said Choushinki-sensei.

(("There's a first time for everything, isn't there?")) Atem growled.

"Uh, he says thank you for the nice compliment," said a brightly smiling Yugi.

"Now I need you to open your mouth wide and say, 'Aah,'" said Choushinki-sensei as he held out what looked to Atem like a popsicle stick without the popsicle on it.

(("No!")) Atem growled, crossing his arms over his chest in a show of defiance.

Yugi glanced at the doctor, mouthing a message to him…

"Get the stick ready!"

At Choushinki-sensei's nod, Yugi's fingers suddenly went for Atem's vulnerable ribs, lightly prodding this known sensitive spot.

"Ah! Ha ha!" Atem was forced to open his mouth to laugh.

Not a second later, Atem felt that accursed stick in his mouth, pressing down on his tongue while that quack healer shone his penlight into his mouth and down his throat. Just when Atem thought he was going to gag, the tongue depressor was withdrawn and the light shut off.

' _You little traitor!'_ Atem thought as he shot a very nasty glare down at the sweetly smiling Yugi, who to add salt to the wound, gave him a pat on the thigh.

Just then, he felt something tapping his right knee, causing his leg to bounce. Atem snapped his glare down to where the sensation had come from, to see a small rubber hammer in the doctor's hand.

(("Yugi, he just assaulted me!")) Atem cried indignantly.

(("He's just checking your reflexes. It doesn't even hurt,")) replied Yugi with a roll of his eyes.

(("That's the not the po… Stop that!")) Atem barked as the doctor struck his other knee with the hammer, causing it to bounce as well.

"Your reflexes are perfect. Let's see how your heart and lungs sound," said Choushinki-sensei as he donned his stethoscope.

(("Yugi?")) Atem yelped in alarm at the sight of the unknown instrument.

(("It's a stethoscope. It just lets the doctor listen to your heart and lungs. It won't hurt,")) Yugi soothed, squeezing Atem's shoulder as he untied the upper half of Atem's gown and pushed it down his shoulders to bunch at his elbows.

With a deep sigh, Atem sat still and permitted Choushinki-sensei to touch the stethoscope to his chest. He jumped a bit when the cold steel hit his skin, causing it to ripple, but offered no further protest.

Yugi couldn't help the slight heat pooling in his nether regions at the sight of Atem's nipples hardening as the cold disk of the stethoscope was touched to his sensitive skin.

' _My poor Até,'_ he thought with a sad smile.

"Just breathe normally while I listen to your heart," the doctor instructed.

With a roll of his eyes, Atem sat still and breathed normally as Choushinki-sensei touched the stethoscope to different parts of his chest while listening to the steady beat of his strong heart.

"Your heart sounds fine. Now I want you to take deep breaths while I touch the stethoscope to your back," instructed the doctor.

Atem's skin rippled at the feeling of the cold steel disk against his bare skin when the doctor touched the stethoscope to his back. He glanced at Yugi, who took an exaggerated breath in, bidding him to do the same. With another scowl, Atem inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air and then letting it out slowly while Choushinki-sensei held that cold, steel disk to his upper back. This was repeated another six times as the doctor moved the stethoscope around Atem's back, listening to his working lungs from different angles.

"Your heart and lungs sound fine," said Choushinki-sensei with a nod to Yugi, who pulled the gown back up Atem's arms and retied it.

"Lie down on your back so I can listen to your intestines," the doctor instructed.

After Atem was supine, with Yugi holding his hand, the doctor pushed the gown up over his rib cage and moved the hem of his boxers down to just over his pubic triangle. Atem stared at the ceiling and shivered a bit as that damnable stethoscope was now touched to his sensitive belly before being lifted and touched to different areas while the doctor listened to the gurgling and churning of his bowels.

Atem winced and glared at Choushinki-sensei as the doctor's fingers began to push down into his abdomen, moving in small circles. Every so often, the doctor would push in more deeply, which didn't really hurt, but was rather uncomfortable. Seeking comfort, Atem squeezed Yugi's hand and Yugi promptly squeezed back. The doctor's fingers moved lower and lower, pressing down and moving in small circles. Twice, the doctor slipped one hand under Atem's flank while the other pressed down on his abdomen, seeming to trap an organ between exploring hands. At length, the doctor withdrew his hands, much to Atem's relief.

"Now stand up," Choushinki-sensei instructed.

Yugi took Atem's hand and guided him to stand on the cold linoleum floor.

"Remove your boxers and lift your gown," the doctor instructed.

(("What?")) growled Atem.

(("It's alright, Até. Once we're done, we can go home and…")) Yugi trailed off.

 _'The things I do for you,'_ Atem thought with a sour face as he slid off his boxers and lifted his gown up, revealing his private area .

Feeling his mouth go dry at that sight, Yugi definitely couldn't say he didn't appreciate the view as he took Atem's boxers and laid them atop his other clothes.

Atem blushed six shades of red and bit down on his lip when he felt Choushinki-sensei's gloved fingers on him, folding back his skin and gently squeezing and stroking up and down his length. When the doctor's fingers pinched open the slit on his head, he couldn't hold back that groan.

"Anh!"

"Does this hurt?" Choushinki-sensei inquired as he pinched again.

"No," Atem forced out. _'It feels_ too _good. That's the problem.'_

The doctor proceeded with the exam, squeezing, pinching, stroking and just overall agitating Atem's organ to turgidity. By the time the exam was finished, poor Atem was rock hard, cheeks tinged a lovely incarnadine.

"Would you hold your penis up so I can check your testicles?" the doctor requested.

"Eh?" Atem asked, mind a bit too foggy to process instructions.

"Here," Yugi offered, reaching in and holding Atem's organ and gown up so the doctor could check his sac.

"Aaanngh!" Atem groaned when he felt the gloved digits begin to cup and squeeze his scrotum.

Paying no mind to his patient's groaning, Choushinki-sensei took his time, cupping, squeezing and rubbing Atem's sac, passing the smooth testicles between two sets of fingers.

With his free hand, Yugi caught one of Atem's hands and gave a comforting squeeze.

By the time the doctor withdrew his fingers, poor Atem was rock hard and blushing like a schoolgirl. Even though Yugi felt bad for Atem having to endure this, he couldn't help but smile at how adorable his Pharaoh looked in this state.

"Now I need you to bend over the table and spread your legs as far as you can," instructed the doctor as he pushed his hand into a latex glove.

Wild crimsons locked with sympathetic violet.

"Yugi…" Atem began.

"It's OK, Até. This is the last exam," soothed Yugi as he took Atem's hand in his own and squeezed even as he guided his Other to the table and helped him to bend over with his legs spread. This done, Yugi untied the lower part of Atem's gown, allowing the fabric to part.

Atem flinched when he felt his nether cheeks being parted and a cool, slickened finger slipping between them, rubbing against his clenched ring of muscle for a few seconds before dipping inside. Blushing scarlet with humiliation, he buried his face in Yugi's chest as he felt the doctor's finger push slowly inside him, twisting and turning as it felt all his walls.

"It's alright, Até. It's alright. You're doing fine," Yugi soothed as he gently rubbed Atem's back.

"Unnnhhh…" this groan was torn from Atem's throat when the doctor's finger brushed against his prostate.

That might not have been so bad, but when the finger stopped and began rubbing it ceaselessly, Atem felt his tip weeping and tensed up, not wanting to release in the exam room.

"It's OK. It's OK. Just relax," Yugi reassured him.

' _Easy for you to say, Yugi. You aren't the one bent over a table with a stranger's hand up your ass,'_ Atem thought miserably.

Atem felt his sac beginning to twitch. Just as he thought he was going to be forced to release onto the floor, the finger stopped rubbing.

"Bear down," came the instruction.

As Atem pushed down, the finger was withdrawn from within him. The Egyptian breathed a sigh of relief at the emptiness he felt inside.

"You did great," Yugi whispered in Atem's ear, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder as he pulled back.

Atem flinched a bit as he felt a cotton wipe being applied between his nether cheeks, cleaning up the remaining lubricant. Glancing over his shoulder, Atem watched as Yugi wiped him clean and tied the gown back up.

"Go ahead and put your boxers back on," Yugi said softly.

"Thank you," Atem growled, retrieving his boxers from the pile of clothes on the chair and stepping back into them.

"Just two more things, then you'll be done," said Choushinki-sensei as he went to the door. "Nurse, bring the needles!"

At the word 'needles,' Atem paled visibly and turned a horrified face to Yugi.

"Yugi!"

"This is the last thing, I swear Até. Needles don't hurt half as much as you think they will," Yugi soothed, giving Atem's left arm a squeeze.

Just then, Nurse Chuushaki entered the room, carrying a tray with nine needles on it, eight of them filled, the ninth empty.

' _Ra's chariot! I have to have four of those daggers in each arm?! And why is that one in her hand empty?!'_ Atem thought, watching in horror as Nurse Chuushaki approached with the empty needle.

While Nurse Chuushaki swabbed the skin over his vein with rubbing alcohol, the ancient Pharaoh turned a baleful glance to the young man he called his Partner, the young man who smiled sympathetically at him, but offered him no option of escape.

As Nurse Chuushaki slid the needle into the vein in Atem's right arm, Yugi could swear every bone in his right hand was being crushed as Atem's left hand held it in a vice grip.

(("You snake in the grass! Son of a rabid jackal! Were we in Kemet, I would feed you to the crocodiles and hippos!")) Atem barked at the doctor as his blood slowly filled the empty syringe.

' _Good thing the doctor doesn't know Ancient Egyptian,'_ Yugi thought as he gently squeezed Atem's hand.

"Easy, Até. It's OK. Not much longer to go," Yugi soothed as Nurse Chuushaki withdrew the needle.

(("Why did they take my blood? Are they in some sort of cult?!")) Atem fumed as tape was placed to hold the cotton ball over the venipuncture site.

(("No, my Pharaoh. They need to look at your blood under a microscope so they can learn more about your health,")) Yugi explained patiently.

(("I thought that's what they were doing with my pi-OW!")) Atem was about to question Yugi further on that point, when his world exploded in pain as a needle was plunged into his upper right bicep. (("Ra, Osiris and Set! At least give me some kind of warning, you pile of hippo dung!"))

(("That's not nice, Até, even if they can't understand you,")) Yugi reprimanded gently, though he couldn't quite keep the smile off his lips.

(("Tell me again… OW!… how this is supposed to keep me… OW!… healthy,")) Atem growled at Yugi.

(("Because you're being given a deadened version of the virus, which will help your immune system to recognize and fight off the real virus if you ever get it,")) Yugi explained.

(("Well, that makes me feel so much better, having dead… OW!… viruses swimming in my bloodstream!")) Atem groused as the injections continued.

"Four down! Four more to go," Yugi exclaimed by way of distracting Atem.

"Wonderful!" said a sour Atem as he held out his left arm.

Choushinki-sensei began his work anew.

(("Ra, Osiris and Set! OW! What did I ever do to merit this? OW! I'll turn this quack of a healer into a gazelle …OW!… and set a hungry cheetah loose to chase him until he drops! OW!")) Atem ranted and raved in Ancient Egyptian as one shot after another was injected into his left arm.

"All finished. You can get dressed now and we'll give you your paperwork up front," said Choushinki-sensei.

"Thank you!" Yugi called after the retreating doctor.

"You did fine. I'm proud of you," said Yugi sweetly as he untied the gown in back so Atem could change back into his clothes.

"I'm so glad you're happy," growled Atem as he went for his clothes.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," said Yugi as he and Atem emerged from the clinic.

"Speak for yourself," glowered Atem, balefully eying the white gauze bandaids that dotted his bronze arms. "You didn't have people hitting your knees, taking your piss and blood to look at, zapping you in the chest with radiation, fondling your genitals, shoving their hands up your ass and then sticking you with needles the size of daggers!"

"Well, at least it's over and done with," said Yugi brightly.

"Thank Ra for small miracles!" Atem growled, walking ahead of Yugi, his bandaided arms crossed.

' _I thank Ra every day that you're back in my life, even when you're being an ass,'_ Yugi thought with a patient smile as he fell in after the irate Egyptian.

The wrathful Atem refused to speak to Yugi at the bus stop, on the bus and the final walk to the shop.

* * *

 _Kame Game Shop_

Yugi heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped out of his shoes behind Atem, who was already heading upstairs.

"Wouldja like me to…" Yugi called after him.

"No! You've done enough!" growled Atem. "I'm going to lie down!"

With these gracious words, Atem slammed his door behind him, leaving a perplexed Yugi standing in the hallway.

With a sigh, Yugi retreated to his room and fired up his computer. He took Atem's attitude with aplomb because he knew Atem didn't like it when he wasn't in control of things and he definitely had not been in control today. Atem would cool down after a while. Perhaps even tonight, they would be able to talk things out like rational adults and come to an understanding.

' _Either that, or Atem will toss me out of my window in my sleep tonight,'_ Yugi thought with a gulp as he clicked around in his Web browser.

Yugi spent the next few hours surfing the Web and keeping his ears peeled for any sound of movement from Atem's room. After four hours, he still heard nothing.

' _Poor guy must be really tired,'_ Yugi thought.

* * *

 _His bare feet pounded over the cold tile floor as he ran, flimsy exam gown flapping open, exposing his bare back for all to see. Behind him, he heard the ominous footfalls._

 _Sparing a glance over his shoulder, Atem saw the doctor and nurse chasing him down. In the doctor's hand was a giant syringe of purple liquid and in Nurse Chuushaki's, a giant empty syringe._

" _Give me your blood!"_

" _Time for your shots!"_

" _Never! Stay away from me!"_

 _Then Atem was rooted to the spot, unable to even lift his legs. He felt himself being forcibly bent forward._

" _This won't hurt a bit…"_

" _Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"_

 _He felt a giant finger ram its way harshly into him, twisting and undulating, pushing up as far as it could._

" _Aaaaaaahhhh! Take it out! Take it out!"_

 _The needle was plunged into his arm, sucking all the blood from his body._

" _No! Stop this, you ghouls!"_

 _Then the needle of purple liquid was plunged into his other arm, filling his body was some vile substance._

" _The dead viruses want to swim in your veins! Don't worry! It's good for you!"_

 _The ensconced finger hit some bundle of nerves inside Atem and he felt his legs collapse under him, pulling him to the floor, the doctor still probing around inside him. Nurse Chuushaki uncapped another syringe of dead viruses and plunged that into his other arm._

" _Noooooo!"_

" _Hi, Até!"_

 _Atem looked over and saw Yugi, standing there watching his whole ordeal._

" _Yugi! Help me, Partner!"_

" _This is for your own good, Atem. Besides, you're so cute like that!" said Yugi with a bright smile and no offer of help at all._

" _Noooooooooo!"_

(("No!"))

 _'Atem!'_ Yugi thought in alarm and made a beeline for his door.

Yugi darted across the hall and swung Atem's door open. There was the poor Pharaoh, sweating and crying out in his sleep. Yugi's heart sank like a stone at this vivid reminder of Atem's first night back.

 _'He's just reacting to the shots,'_ Yugi thought as he fetched the thermometer, a basin of cool water and some cloths from the bathroom before returning to Atem's room.

Yugi touched the thermometer to Atem's temple. At the beep, it read 100º.

 _'Yeah. It's just a low grade fever. I should be able to bring it down with some cool water and Tylenol,'_ Yugi thought as he dipped the cloth into the water, wrung it out and began gently sponging the sweat from Atem's brow.

(("Stay away from me, you ghoul!")) Atem cried out.

 _'He's dreaming about the doctor,'_ Yugi thought in mild amusement.

(("Yugi! Help me, Partner!"))

At these words, Yugi was struck by an unpleasant revelation: on some level, Atem had felt betrayed by Yugi for forcing him to go to the doctor and then aiding and abetting the doctor and nurse to carry out their perceived torture on him.

 _'No wonder he was so mad.'_

"Easy, Atem. It's alright. You're having a fever dream," Yugi explained softly to the distressed Pharaoh as he grabbed Atem's left shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

The cool cloth and the gentle squeezing seemed to reach through the feverish haze, causing Atem's eyes to flutter open.

"Yugi?" he rasped out.

"Here I am," said Yugi as he dipped the cloth into fresh water and wrung it out.

"So hot," Atem slurred.

"Yeah. I know. You're running a low grade fever from the shots. Your body's learning how to fight off the viruses by practicing with the dead ones. You'll be OK," Yugi explained in a soft voice as he sponged the sweat from Atem's neck and shoulders.

Atem blinked, trying to think of something to say. But his arms were very sore, his body very hot and his eyelids very heavy. When he felt a plastic cup being pressed to his lips, he had to force his eyes open to focus on Yugi, who was holding a cup of pink liquid up for him to drink.

"Drink this. It's Tylenol. It'll help to lower your fever," Yugi said with a soft smile, his other hand gently caressing Atem's face.

Closing his eyes, Atem opened his lips and permitted Yugi to pour the Tylenol into his mouth. Its sharp taste hit his tongue like a kick in the face from a donkey. Atem couldn't help the grimace that crossed his features.

"Foul," he stated.

"I know, but it helps. Here, drink some water; it'll wash away the taste," said Yugi, holding up another cup for Atem.

The water slid down much easier and flooded out the acrid aftertaste of the pink syrup.

As Yugi continued to bathe Atem's overheated body, the Pharaoh tried to think of something to say to him. However, Yugi's ministrations helped to chase away any inchoate thoughts before they had so much as a chance to make sense to his fevered mind.

"Go back to sleep for a while, Atem. Let your body adjust. You'll feel better when you wake up," Yugi's voice droned in his ears.

'… _Yes…'_

Atem wasn't sure if he had spoken or thought that response, but it was the last thing he could remember thinking before he slipped under sleep's heavy, black blanket once again.

Yugi continued to sponge Atem's upper body off and replace the cool compress on his forehead, stopping every 15 minutes to check Atem's temperature. After an hour, the thermometer showed 98.8°, just a shade above normal, but definitely better than the 100° of earlier.

Leaving the damp cloth on Atem's brow, Yugi patted Atem's upper body dry and pulled the blanket up to his chest so he wouldn't get cold. After double checking that Atem was sleeping peacefully, Yugi stole from the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

With nothing much to do but wait for Atem to wake up, Yugi retreated to his room and lay down on his bed, facing his wall. Sighing and closing his eyes, Yugi thought the entire morning over. It certainly wasn't something he wanted to repeat. He was so glad to have Atem back in his life and didn't want to waste their time together fighting with Atem over his health.

At the same time though, when he remembered Atem's form slumped against the wall, he knew going to the doctor had been a necessary evil.

' _But I shouldn't have just sprung it on him at the last minute like that. I could've at least told him what to expect,'_ Yugi chided himself.

With a sigh, Yugi lay still, counting out the small bumps and cracks in his wall as he stared at it. Thus he stayed, with no awareness of the passage of time. The bumps and cracks in his wall had many interesting and variegated paths, all of which his mind mapped out.

Yugi's ears twitched when he heard the door across the hallway click open.

' _Going to the bathroom… Downstairs to watch TV or get food… or something to whack me over the head with.'_

The sound of his door swinging open and bare feet padding almost noiselessly over the wooden floor.

Yugi felt a hand rest on his arm and the bed shifting as another, slightly heavier body climbed onto his mattress and stretched out beside him.

With a sigh, Yugi rolled over to look into a pair of rose petal irises. Impulsively, Yugi touched the back of his hand to Atem's brow, finding it wonderfully cool.

' _Thank God,'_ he thought as he let his hand fall from Atem's brow, only to be caught in Atem's hand and brought to the Other's lips.

"I think my body has conquered those dead viruses," Atem said, gazing at Yugi while worshiping his knuckles with his lips.

Yugi surprised the Egyptian by sighing and lowering his gaze, blond bangs concealing his eyes.

"Atem, I'm sorry for making you go without at least explaining the basics to you before we went. I know it was very stressful for you," Yugi apologized, finding Atem's chest interesting the entire time.

He wasn't entirely surprised to feel a soft, but strong hand under his chin, lifting his face up to establish eye contact.

"Thank you, Yugi. _I_ apologize for my juvenile behavior at the clinic. I thought things over and realized that you had my welfare at heart. I… will try to be more open to modern medicine," Atem conceded, thumb stroking Yugi's cheek.

"It's just… I'm scared of something happening to you, like…"

Yugi's words trailed off.

"Grandpa?"

Tears welling in his eyes, Yugi nodded.

"He… he collapsed in the stockroom and wouldn't go to the doctor. He started coughing, more and more, worse and worse, and still, he wouldn't go, right up till he had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. If only I'd stood up to him and made him go!" Yugi ranted, tears welling in his eyes despite his resolve.

"Yugi, Grandpa was an _adult_. His choices were not your responsibility," Atem said, gazing sternly into Yugi's tearful eyes.

"Wh-why wouldn't he go? If he'd just gone, they coulda saved him," Yugi said even as he felt the tears slip from his eyes.

"I don't know, _meriu_. I just don't know," Atem murmured as he wrapped his arms around Yugi and pulled him close.

A trembling Yugi sank into Atem's strong embrace and finally allowed all the grief and guilt he had felt over Grandpa's illness and death to escape.

Even as he felt warm wetness slide down his chest, Atem held Yugi's trembling form close to him, gently rubbing the younger man's back and planting soft kisses on the crown of his head.

"If I could bring him back, I would. I can never replace him, nor would I try. But I will do all I can to rekindle the light in your eyes," the Pharaoh whispered in Yugi's ear.

With tearstained face and trembling lips, Yugi looked up into Atem's face.

"You'll always be here?" he asked tremulously. " _Always?_ "

"Always," Atem whispered reassuringly before smiling at his young love. "Or until you tire of me and throw me out."

"That'll never happen," Yugi vowed solemnly as he stared into Atem's loving eyes.

"I know," Atem smiled as he rubbed Yugi's back.

Yugi closed his eyes, and laid his head against Atem's chest, listening to the strong cadence of the Pharaoh's heart in his ear while feeling a gentle hand caressing the back of his head.

"I'll… I'll try to be less obsessive and controlling," Yugi murmured at length.

"How about if you take care of me and I take care of you?" Atem murmured as he combed his fingers leisurely through Yugi's thick hair. "Let us be partners, in the truest sense of the word."

"I'd like that," Yugi answered as he felt a warm kiss being pressed to his brow.

The two stayed that way silently for several minutes longer, drawing comfort from each other's presence.

"What time is it?" Atem asked at length.

"Dunno," Yugi mumbled, content to leave his face buried in Atem's bare chest.

Raising his head, Atem glanced over at Yugi's old clock and saw that it was pushing 4:30.

"It's almost 4:30. Are you hungry?" Atem offered, stroking Yugi's hair.

"Oh, Atem! You've been through a lot today. Let me buy us takeout. Please!" Yugi gasped, clutching impulsively at his dark twin.

Atem glanced into Yugi's wide eyes before a smile spread across his swarthy features.

"Since you're offering, I've been thinking that I'd like to try Indian food," he answered.

"There's a Priya Indian in town that delivers. What do you want to eat? I'll call right now," said Yugi, grabbing a notepad and pen.

"The lamb tikka struck my fancy," was Atem's answer.

"Cool. I'm getting the murg malai kabob," replied Yugi as he reached for his phone and dialed the number.

* * *

The deliciously spicy scent that only Indian cuisine could give off filled the air as Yugi and Atem opened the boxes to reveal their chosen meals.

"Thanks for the food!"

Yugi grabbed his chopsticks to sail in, but almost dropped them when he saw Atem dip his chopsticks into the box with the chicken.

"Hey!" Yugi started to protest, but was silenced when the chicken was held up before his mouth.

With a quick glance at the twinkling rose petal eyes, Yugi leaned in and took the proffered chicken, finding the situation awkward, but not at all unpleasant. Reciprocating, Yugi picked up some lamb and held it out for Atem.

Eyes never leaving Yugi's face, Atem took the lamb from Yugi's chopsticks and chewed it slowly, savoring its unique flavor. As he chewed, his left hand reached out and gently caressed Yugi's right cheek. Atem smiled as the younger man leaned into his touch. He dipped his chopsticks into the box and pulled out more chicken for Yugi.

So the meal went.

After dinner, Yugi and Atem grabbed robes and retreated to their shower room together. They spent a long time, leisurely soaping each other up, then rinsing off. Squeaky clean, they uncovered the bathtub, whose water had been keeping hot all day and sank in gratefully, Yugi leaning back against Atem's strong chest, Atem's arms wrapped around his shoulders. As they lay together, Yugi traced Atem's strong jawline with his fingers before guiding his hand down and gently pinching and rolling dusky nipples.

"Careful, Partner or we'll have a mess to clean up," Atem warned in a husky voice.

Yugi wisely kept his hands to himself for the duration of the bath.

* * *

In the candlelit atmosphere of his room, Atem gently laid Yugi on the bed, then untied the sash to Yugi's yukata and parted the folds, revealing the younger man's milky white chest and two pert, pink nipples. With that damned seductive smirk spreading across his exotic features, he lowered his head to Yugi's chest.

"A-t… Haa-aaah!"

This from Yugi as Atem bit down on his right nipple. Immediately after, he slipped the robe from Yugi's shoulders and cast it aside.

Yugi breathed in sharply as the yukata was slid off his shoulders in one smooth motion by the Pharaoh's graceful hands.

Atem's tongue pushed against Yugi's lips, demanding entrance. Yugi's lips parted and Atem's tongue dove in, pushing his own tongue down while it mapped out the moist cavern of Yugi's mouth.

While Atem's tongue was playing in Yugi's mouth, his fingers were busy pinching Yugi's nipples, just a tad more harshly than usual, and worrying them until they stood turgid in the cool night air.

Atem smirked to himself when he felt the lithe body under his already beginning to squirm with needs.

' _Oh, we have a long night ahead of us, Partner. Look forward to it,'_ Atem thought as he snaked a hand down Yugi's side to lightly pinch the younger man's flank.

"Mph!" Yugi yelped into Atem's mouth, only to squeak again, "Eeep!" when Atem's forefinger dipped into his navel and twirled about in it.

Deciding to retaliate, Yugi's hands found purchase on Atem's chest and began twirling, pinching and rubbing his nipples.

"Mmmm-gah! Yugi!" Atem growled as he gazed down at the younger man through hazing over eyes.

Both Atem's hands trailed up and down Yugi's sides, lightly tickling and prodding the younger man's ribs as Yugi twisted and turned under Atem.

"Ah! That tickles!" Yugi yelped.

Yugi's fingers flew up to run feather light trails over the Pharaoh's chest and stomach, the warm smooth skin of the Egyptian sending electric shocks through Yugi's being with each light stroke and caress.

"Ha ha ha! Yugi! Ha ha ha!" Atem couldn't help but laugh as his young love tickled him back.

Deciding it was time to get serious, Atem lowered his head and began lavishing warm, wet attention on the sensitive flesh of Yugi's neck. His tongue mapped out and caressed every vein and artery that pulsed beneath him.

Yugi began to squirm as he felt Atem's hot tongue and lips licking a moist trail down his neck, then out to each nipple. Yugi felt himself arching as first his right, then left nipple were harshly bitten, before being engulfed in warm wetness as a talented tongue swirled over them, soothing the bitten flesh. When Atem's mouth left, the feeling of the cool air hitting Yugi's nipples caused them to stand turgid, aching to be engulfed once again. As he felt the slow, sweet torture continue, he became aware of a pooling desire and feeling of stiffness stirring in his nether regions.

Yugi raised his hands to try to reciprocate, but quickly found them caught by Atem's left hand and pinned over his head, effectively rendering him helpless.

"No fair!" Yugi pouted.

"All is fair in the matters of love and war," Atem smirked.

The Egyptian kissed and licked his way slowly down Yugi's stomach until he came to the quivering navel. After depositing a light kiss, he dipped his tongue into the small orifice. The lithe body quaked under him.

"Atem! That tickles!"

' _Just you wait, Partner.'_

Atem continued licking his way down from Yugi's navel, swirling his tongue over pale, sensitive flesh, leaving a trail of saliva in his wake. When he reached that area, he paused and looked down. Upon seeing the evidence of Yugi's enjoyment, he smiled to himself, licking his lips.

Yugi's wet skin crawled as the cool air hit it, an unusual sensation, though not at all unpleasant. When he felt something warm and wet engulf his throbbing erection, he threw back his head and screamed.

"Haaa-aaaaah! Atem!"

As the engulfed feeling quickly turned into pressure and suction, Yugi's ability to think quickly diminished to almost null, completely overwhelmed by the sweet torture of that wet heat around his turgid desire.

Smiling to himself, Atem hummed low, the vibrations of his voice going straight through Yugi's flesh and into his overwrought brain, causing the younger man to arch his back and scream so lusciously for his Other.

"Huuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Relaxing his throat muscles, Atem took Yugi all the way inside and, with one goodly suck, broke the dam of his Partner's pleasure. He felt the length in his mouth spasm, followed by hot, salty liquid slinking down his throat. Atem greedily drank his Partner's essence, trailing his fingers in invisible patterns over Yugi's abdomen as he finished his young lover off.

Awash in the afterglow of his most intense orgasm ever, Yugi whimpered a bit as he felt the hot warmth lifted from his cold, wilted manhood. His whimper was silenced as he felt those lips on his again, tongue pushing its way back into his mouth. Yugi tasted something salty on his tongue and realized that he was tasting himself.

As Atem's mouth played with Yugi's, his fingers traced lightly over Yugi's thighs, then back up over his pelvis and up and down his rib cage, causing his poor Partner to squirm cutely under his ministrations.

Withdrawing from the kiss, Atem smirked to himself as he looked down at the flushed and rather agitated Yugi, lying helplessly underneath him. Reaching down between Yugi's legs, Atem's thumb and forefinger began gently massaging his perineum.

"Ooooooh-aaaahhh!" Yugi moaned as he felt something warm jolt through his body as those strong fingers pressed down upon the soft valley of flesh nestled between his sac and his puckered entrance.

Smiling to himself, Atem continued to tease the small indentation in Yugi's perineum, keeping a close eye on the ring of muscle, which was just beginning to quiver and spasm. Judging the time correct, he withdrew his fingers and fetched a bottle of oil reposing on the small table next to his bed.

At the feeling of the fingers being withdrawn, Yugi cried out in protest.

"Atem! Damn it!"

After thoroughly coating his forefinger with the oil, a smirking Atem parted Yugi's nether cheeks and began teasing the spasming ring of muscle. Circling and gently pushing, Atem's fingertip began to slowly breech the entrance to Sodom.

"Haaaa ooooohhhh aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Yugi cried, arching his back at the feeling of being stretched.

Initially, it was quite painful, having something as large and strong as one of Atem's fingers pierce his nether regions and stretch him out. Quite the next moment, Yugi felt those soft lips and that talented tongue against the sensitive flesh of his throat, gently licking, biting, kissing and giving suck. The pleasure of this act served as a suitable distraction from the invading digit that was now beginning to twist and turn inside him.

Atem's eyes widened at the feeling of the tight confines of Yugi's passage. Slowly, he began turning and undulating his finger, rubbing it against Yugi's walls, feeling for that special area. At Yugi's first sign of distress, Atem applied his mouth to Yugi's neck and began distracting the younger man by sucking on the pulsing vein in the side before dipping down into the hollow over Yugi's clavicles.

As the warm wetness on his neck served to reignite the feeling of hot desire between his legs, Yugi became aware that the finger inside him only stung a little now and that there was a good, warm feeling in being stretched. When the stinging, stretching feeling returned, Yugi realized that a second finger had been added.

"Mph…" Yugi grunted.

Immediately, he felt the hot lips moving from his neck, to plant soft kisses on his brow, his eyelids, his cheeks, then moving down to attend once again to his sensitive, turgid nipples. As the kissing increased the desire burning in his nether regions, the stinging sensation gradually ebbed away, allowing him to relax. Soon the fingers were moving again, dancing a slow dance as they continued to stretch his passage out.

When Atem felt the younger man's walls unclench around his fingers, he began moving them slowly, continuing to plant kisses on every part of Yugi's lithe body he could reach as he worked his young partner.

By the time the third finger was inserted, Yugi was shamelessly thrusting against the stretching and probing fingers as far as the restraining hand would permit, pushing them in deeper. Moving against Yugi's body, Atem pushed his fingers in further. When he felt the ring of muscle clamp around his fingers and that supple body bow up under him, he knew he had struck home.

"Ooooooooooooooh gods, Ateeeeeemmmmmm!" Yugi cried as he felt a burst of warmth in him like nothing he had ever felt before.

Wanting to feel it again, Yugi thrust even more desperately against the three fingers, which pushed up against whatever it was inside him, again causing that warm explosion.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! Haaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Yugi cried out as he felt liquid beginning to weep from his tip.

Just as Yugi thought he would make that wonderful journey to paradise, the three fingers were withdrawn, leaving an aching emptiness in their void. Yugi thrust down, trying to recapture that wonderful feeling in vain.

"What the fuck, Atem?!" he cried, angered by the ancient one's teasing.

"Heh heh! Something wrong, Partner?" Atem's deep voice teased, rose petal eyes dancing with mirth.

"Yes!" Yugi squawked. "You can't just tease me and leave me like this!"

"So, you need my help with something?" Atem asked with false guilelessness.

"Obviously!" Yugi almost screamed.

"I don't know what to do. You'll have to tell me, Partner," Atem teased, fingers idly tracing patterns on Yugi's flat stomach.

' _My beautiful Pharaoh is absolutely twisted!'_ Yugi thought.

"I need…" Yugi began.

Then he paused. What exactly did he need? The fingers had felt wonderful. What else could… Yugi felt Atem's left hand release his bound wrists and saw Atem picking up a jar of some kind of oil.

' _Oh, gods! Is that it?'_

"I need you… inside me!" Yugi stuttered out.

"That's a reasonable request," Atem agreed, even as he handed the oil to Yugi. "Would you prepare me?"

Yugi blinked, then took the bottle from Atem's hands. He dipped the fingertips of his right hand in until they thoroughly coated, then gently grasped Atem's turgid length and began rubbing the oil onto it.

"Aaaaaaaannngh!"

Atem threw his head back and groaned at the delicious torture Yugi was now inflicting on him.

Seeing how his rubbing affected Atem, Yugi set a deliberately slow pace, thoroughly coating the throbbing, turgid flesh that rested so trustingly in his hands. He couldn't help but smile as Atem began thrusting into his grip.

"Yugi! If you don't finish up, I won't make it to the final part!" Atem cried out in sweet agony.

Finally taking pity on his poor Pharaoh, Yugi withdrew his hands, recapped the jar and set it aside. He lay back and spread his legs for his Pharaoh's entrance.

At the feeling of those talented hands leaving him, a heavily breathing Atem lowered his head and glared mildly down at his supposedly innocent Partner.

Crimson and violet stared into each other, Atem poised at Yugi's entrance, Yugi with his hands reaching up to caress Atem's strong jawline and cheeks. Crimson begged the question, may I? Violet smiled gently up at him, you may.

Closing his eyes at the feeling of Yugi's hands enveloping the sides of his face, Atem gently pushed his way forward into Yugi's achingly empty cavern.

"Nnngh!" was the grunt of pain that followed the initial penetration.

Atem stopped his forward momentum and forced himself to stay stock still to give Yugi time to adjust to his invading presence. Leaning down, he captured Yugi's mouth in another heated kiss as he felt Yugi's hands leave his face to wrap around his neck.

" _Nerfertu meriu,"_ Atem's voice rumbled as he withdrew just a bit from Yugi's lips before diving back in.

" _Aqer perah!"_ Yugi returned as he combed his fingers through Atem's gravity defying hair.

Atem smiled to himself as he felt Yugi's hips gyrate against his ensconced erection. Moving slowly, he began the back and forth motion, pushing slowly and steadily forward into the hot tightness.

Feeling the large organ moving forward in him, Yugi took deep breaths and concentrated on the continuous rain of kisses and whispered words of love from the man above him.

" _Paiå,"_ Atem whispered as he gently bit down at the juncture of Yugi's neck and left shoulder.

" _Paik,"_ Yugi responded happily as he slid his hands down from Atem's scalp to run over the Pharaoh's strong shoulders and back. "Oooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

This as he felt that explosion of warmth, similar to, but so much more than, he had experienced with Atem's fingers.

' _Looks like I've struck home,'_ Atem thought as he sped up the tempo of his thrusts, now aiming for that one spot within Yugi's confines.

With each thrust from Atem, Yugi saw stars exploding before his now scrunched eyelids. Mouth open in a perfect O, Yugi took deep breaths in and out as the pain of being stretched and invaded warred and ultimately succumbed to, the pleasure of having his sweet spot struck again and again by his well endowed Pharaoh.

With each thrust into that tight canal, Atem felt the fire in his loins burn ever hotter. Looking down, he saw that Yugi's own flame was well kindled. Reaching down between their sweat slickened bodies, Atem grasped Yugi's turgidity and began stroking it in perfect synch with his thrusts.

The feeling of being stroked and thrust into simultaneously was too much for a novice like Yugi and he felt his last barrier snap. Liquid squirted from his tip as waves of warm pleasure broke over him like ocean waves upon the rocks. He felt his body convulsing wildly as the stars danced and exploded before his eyes.

"Raaaaaaaa, Ossssssiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiisssss, Atttteeeeeeeemmmmmmm!" he screamed as he shuddered violently.

At the feeling of Yugi's walls clamping around him, Atem felt the bubble within him burst as he released his pleasure deep within Yugi's confines. Throwing his head back, he screamed to the heavens.

"Yuuuuuugiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

An exhausted Pharaoh collapsed just beside his young Partner, still ensconced within him. Wrapping his arms around Yugi's arms, he lifted his head and met Yugi's lips in a soft kiss, born of the exhaustion he knew they were both feeling.

" _Bua,"_ he whispered in Yugi's ear.

" _Auau,"_ Yugi returned.

"Why, thank you, Partner. That's the nicest compliment anyone has ever paid me," Atem smirked.

"Hm?" asked a sleepy Yugi.

"You have declared my body divine," Atem purred as he nuzzled Yugi's neck.

"That's a good mistake I made then," replied Yugi, wrapping his arms around Atem's neck and holding on for dear life.

"Indeed. Now, let's get some sleep," Atem said softly as he moved away from the side of Yugi's neck to plant a kiss on his small nose.

"Yes, my Pharaoh," Yugi smiled up at Atem.

With a yawn of his own, Atem carefully pulled out of Yugi, dribbling a white trail down the younger man's thigh and onto the sheet, but too tired to think of that for now.

Snuggling into each other's arms in the room's warm darkness, both men closed their eyes and allowed a tide of drowsiness to wash them far out onto Sleep's Ocean.


	12. Come 'Round Full Circle

_Kayobi, Tuesday, September 24, 2002  
Autumnal Equinox Day_

Each carrying a wooden bucket laden with flowers and incense sticks, Yugi and Atem made their way toward the small graveyard that was the last home of their beloved grandfather, Mutou Sugoroku.

The graveyard was a peaceful place, full of trees with long branches of dark green leaves that would soon begin changing for autumn. The trees helped to cut them off from the noise and clangor of the city just beyond the wall that surrounded the cemetery.

Yugi knelt down and poured water on the grave, after which Atem scrubbed the accumulated dirt and cobwebs from its smooth stone surface. Yugi then laid his flowers on the grave, followed by Atem, who did the same with his. After two sets of incense sticks were ensconced in the ground and lit, Atem watched as Yugi folded his hands, closed his eyes and lowered his head in prayer.

After a bit, Yugi stood up and looked back at Atem through watery eyes.

"Would you like to talk to him too?" Yugi offered.

"Are you sure?" Atem asked, wanting to speak to Grandpa, but not wanting to intrude.

"Of course. He was your grandpa too, after all," explained Yugi. "Just kneel, fold your hands and say what you want in your head. Grandpa can hear what we think because he's a spirit now."

With a nod, Atem knelt and folded his hands to speak to Grandpa.

' _Well, Shimon, I'm not sure exactly what happened, but now that I live again, I will dedicate the rest of my life to Yugi. Travel on, old friend. I'll see you again someday.'_

Atem stood up and he and Yugi held hands, thinking of the kind and loving grandfather, whose death had left a void in both their hearts that they would have to work together to fill.

Still holding hands, Yugi and Atem left the graveyard together.

* * *

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, October 1, 2002_

On a clear, crisp autumn day, Yugi and Atem stepped out of the game shop, both clad in their leathers due to the change in the weather. After Yugi had locked the door behind them, the two young men started down the sidewalk, their paces matching perfectly. They continued thus until the sight of bright red leaves falling from a large maple tree staid Atem's progress. Realizing that the Egyptian had stopped walking, Yugi turned around and looked back.

As Atem stared up at the tree, ruby eyes wide in rapt fascination, a gust of wind blew, which loosed some of the leaves from their branches. He plucked one of the red floaters from the air and looked it over curiously, feeling its brittle, crunchy texture in his fingers. The adorable look of childlike curiosity on the normally regal countenance forced Yugi to suppress a smile as he approached his curious Other.

"Yugi, is this tree dying?" Atem asked, holding up the leaf.

"No," Yugi answered. "It's because it's autumn. When the weather starts to get a bit cooler…"

"A bit?" complained Atem, drawing up his leather jacket as another gust of wind hit his lean form.

"Hee hee. When the weather turns cold, the trees shed their leaves and fall asleep through the winter. When the warm weather returns in spring, they'll grow new, green leaves," Yugi continued.

Atem looked at the tree, wishing that he might also sleep through the cold weather, which seemed to sap him of his energy. He allowed the leaf to flutter to the sidewalk, turned up the collar of his leather jacket and fell into pace with Yugi once again as they continued their way to Starbucks.

* * *

Atem was grateful for the blast of warm air that hit him as soon as the door closed behind him and Yugi.

"One double tall mocha latte, please," Yugi ordered.

"Espresso," Atem ordered.

While they were waiting for their orders, Atem's sharp eyes roved about the shop, taking in the sight of many people, typing happily away on their laptops, seemingly unaware of anyone or anything around them.

' _They look like zombies,'_ the ancient one thought, wrinkling his nose at the sight.

As his eyes continued to take everything in, they fell upon a shock of silver hair, which stood out readily among the blacks and browns of the other patrons. Ruby irises lit in glad recognition.

"Bakura," he said.

"Huh? Where?" asked Yugi, looking around.

Atem pointed in the silver-haired teen's direction so Yugi could make him out.

"Hn. I didn't know he was into the coffee scene," mused Yugi.

"Should we join him?" Atem asked.

"Let me go to him first. Me and Jou haven't actually told the others about you yet and I don't want him passing out," explained Yugi with a good natured smile.

"Never told the others?" echoed Atem with a frown. "Am I some great secret to be kept locked away in the shop?"

"No, of course not," soothed Yugi, subtly giving Atem's hand a squeeze. "I just… kinda wanted you to myself for a while…"

Yugi trailed off as a blush tinged his cheeks a lovely shade of pink and suddenly found the floor very interesting.

Atem snorted in amusement as a wry smile lit his features.

"I understand," he reassured. "But I would like to see the others eventually."

"We will," promised Yugi. "Starting now."

"One double tall mocha latte and one espresso!" called the barista.

Yugi and Atem grabbed their drinks from the counter.

"Careful. It's hot," warned Yugi.

With a nod, Atem took a small, careful sip of his coffee.

"This is good!" he said happily. "Shall we join Bakura now?"

With a nod, Yugi started to make his way over to Bakura, while Atem hung back.

"Bakura!" he called out with a wave.

Upon hearing his name, Bakura looked up from his laptop, brown eyes warming at the sight of Yugi approaching him.

"Yugi, it's been far too long. Are you doing well?" the silver hair asked, having not seen Yugi since last summer.

"Yeah. I actually have been. Thanks for asking," smiled Yugi.

"I'm sorry that it's been so long since we've met up," apologized Bakura. "The university and museum have taken all my time. This is my first free day in over a month."

"You don't have to apologize. You're an adult living a busy life," sympathized Yugi. "The game shop takes up a lot of my time these days."

"Speaking of the game shop, is it still… crowded?" Bakura asked in a dropped voice.

"Yeah, but it's OK," answered Yugi with a smile.

"Really? You seemed anxious to be rid of the entity when last I saw you," observed Bakura, pausing to sip his coffee.

"Well, let's just say that the entity isn't so scary now that I've gotten to know it," said Yugi, eyes twinkling.

"'Gotten to know?'" echoed Bakura incredulously. "Whatever do you mean, Yugi?"

"You'll see," said Yugi with a mysterious smile as he gestured for his "entity" to approach.

Bakura's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in utter shock as a swarthy, crimson-eyed man with tricolor hair eerily similar to Yugi's stepped gracefully among the tables and stood before him in all his glory. Poor Bakura was only saved from complete collapse by the fact that he was already seated.

' _No! This is not real!'_ his mind cried.

"Hello, Bakura. It's been a long time," the man spoke in a smooth, deep voice.

"Yes… quite a long time…" the silver-haired teen agreed, eyes turning to Yugi, fairly demanding an explanation.

"Why don't we all sit down?" suggested Yugi.

After the three were seated, Bakura gazed in absolute astonishment at the two tricolors, looking so alike, yet so different as they sat beside each other.

"How is this even possible?" he fairly breathed in amazement.

"On the last night of Obon, Atem showed up at my door, soaking wet and almost dying of a fever," Yugi explained, shifting his gaze between Bakura and Atem.

"He rent the veil," breathed Bakura, staring in unmitigated awe at the Egyptian, who stared serenely back.

"Not just rent, he ripped a hole and walked through," grinned Yugi as he cast a loving gaze at his Pharaoh.

"Incredible. You could make a movie about this whole thing," said Bakura, tearing his gaze reluctantly from Atem.

"Like anyone would believe it," laughed Yugi.

Atem, still ignorant of proper social mores, reached out and clasped Yugi's hand in an unabashed gesture of affection. Equally oblivious, Yugi returned the caress while Bakura forced himself to look away.

"Well, I'm happy for both of you. It's a reward well earned," he said resolutely.

"Thank you for your kind words," said Atem happily.

In an attempt to break up the awkward atmosphere, Bakura noted the drink in Atem's hand.

"So I see you're trying Starbucks. How do you like it?" he asked.

"I love it. It's sweet without being cloying," said Atem, eying the drink before taking another ginger sip.

"Have you tried the triple cheese supreme at Burger World yet?" asked Bakura.

"Careful of those. They're fattening," warned Yugi, dreading the idea of his beautiful, sleek Pharaoh bulging out on cheeseburgers.

"Ha ha!" laughed Atem at the look on Yugi's face as he held up his coffee cup. "And these aren't?"

Watching the easy interaction between the former spirit and his vessel, Bakura's eyes darkened a bit as he quickly took a sip of his own coffee.

' _If only my Other and I could have had a relationship like these two have…'_

* * *

 _That night…  
Kame Game Shop_

Yugi and Atem lay cuddled under the blankets on Atem's bed, Atem actually wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt to bed since it was cool out.

"Atem?" Yugi asked.

"Hmm?" returned Atem.

"I'm sorry," Yugi began.

"For what?" Atem asked absently.

"For keeping you to myself and not telling the others. I didn't even think about your feelings. I… I've been treating you like I own you and that's wrong," Yugi explained. "You're not just the Other Me anymore. You're a separate person and you deserve to be able to hang out with anyone you want, any time you want, to have your own life. I could help you set up an email address so you could talk to anyone you want. Maybe we could even get you a phone and a computer!"

"Woah! Slow down there, Partner," smiled Atem, giving Yugi's hand a squeeze. "First of all, I don't think wanting me to yourself for a while is selfish. Second, if I were all that desperate to get in contact with the others, I would have simply emailed Jou from your phone when you put it down. Third, I do intend to have my own life, but only with you in it, at my side, as you are now…"

Yugi's cheeks were that lovely shade of pink again as he ducked his face down, burying it in Atem's chest.

"As for the computer and phone, let's save that for another day," Atem concluded as he kissed the crown of Yugi's head.

"OK…" said Yugi in his cute, muffled voice.

A blanket of darkness covering them, they closed their eyes and let sleep take them.

* * *

 _Suiyobi, Wednesday, December 11, 2002_

Shutting the door behind him, Yugi crossed Sugoroku's old room to the small butsudan reposing against the wall at the foot of the bed. With a deep sigh, he opened the doors, tapped the singing bowl and folded his hands to pray to his grandfather.

' _I can't believe it's been a year already since you left. I miss you so much. Things aren't quite as bad with Atem here, but I wish you were still here too. Guess I'm as selfish as ever. It just would've been cool if you and him could've gotten to know each other. I really hope you've reunited with Grandma and my parents too and someday we can all be together again.'_

Standing in the doorway, unnoticed by the younger man, Atem watched Yugi through sad eyes. He knew why this day held such sorrow for Yugi. With a sigh, he headed downstairs to make breakfast for them.

"Good morning, _meriu_ ," Atem said softly as Yugi slumped into his place at the table.

"Hi, Até," Yugi said quietly, without looking up.

Not bothering to caress Yugi's face until their gazes met, as was his practice when Yugi didn't look up at him, Atem merely sighed and sat down to his own breakfast.

"Thanks for the food."

The tricolors ate in silence, Atem glancing over at Yugi's downcast face and feeling his heart clench at this sight. Seeing Yugi in this state felt as unnatural to Atem as seeing a blue sun overhead would.

"The food was great."

After Yugi and Atem put their eating ware into the sink, Yugi's gaze turned toward the staircase, as he felt sorely tempted to simply retreat to his room and stay holed up there for the rest of the day. Seeing the play of emotions across his Partner's face, Atem gripped Yugi by the shoulders, making the younger man face him.

"I'm going for a walk. Come with me?" he offered hopefully.

Yugi thought a moment. Did he really want to spend the day crying in his room? Or would it be better to go walking outside with Atem? Looking up into those beautiful rose petal eyes sealed the deal for him.

"OK," he said in a small voice, managing a watery smile.

"C'mon," said Atem, giving Yugi's shoulders a squeeze before letting go.

The tricolors walked under the overcast gray sky, stopping at crosswalks and crossing with the hordes of other pedestrians. Presently, the gravid clouds reached their fullest state and began to gradually disgorge their contents onto the earth below. At first, there were just a few wispy white flakes floating in the air, but gradually, their number increased.

At the sight of the thin white floaters before him, Atem stopped and stared, eyes round and childlike. Cautiously, he removed his right glove and caught some of the flakes to inspect them more closely. Atem winced at the cold wetness as it made direct contact with his skin and stared in rapt fascination as the small white things simply dissolved into watery nothing.

"You saw snow when we shared a body," stated Yugi.

"Through your eyes; never my own," Atem answered in a soft, reverent voice.

Yugi went over to Atem and watched as more of the small flakes fell into the Pharaoh's open palm and dissolved upon contact with his skin.

"How quickly they fade away," Atem observed quietly.

"Yeah," agreed Yugi wistfully.

Atem smiled gently at Yugi and patted him on the shoulder, receiving a grateful smile from the younger man.

Yugi and Atem continued on their way as torrents of white flakes rained down from iron gray clouds, the whole landscape quickly becoming covered in a wintry bleakness not to be described in words.

* * *

 _Kayobi, Tuesday, December 24, 2002  
Christmas Eve_

The smell of roasted chicken and mashed potatoes keeping warm in the small oven filled the air. Atem had just tuned the TV to the station showing the old American Christmas flicks. Yugi sat at the table, staring at the side door, anxious for the arrival of their friends.

"They'll get here soon, Partner," Atem called patiently to Yugi. "Staring a hole into the door won't change that."

"I know. I'm just excited. This'll be the first time we've all been together for Christmas Eve. I can't wait," Yugi explained.

"Ha ha ha! I understand. I feel the same," Atem admitted, abandoning the couch and approaching Yugi.

"Yeah. You just hide it better than me," pouted Yugi, leaning back into Atem as he felt the Pharaoh's arms snaking about his shoulders.

"Years of practice from being Pharaoh. You can't let people see your hand," Atem explained as he held the younger man to him.

Yugi nodded his understanding.

 _SCREECH!_

"Jou's here," the tricolors said in unison.

Yugi stepped down into the genkan to unlock the door. Into the genkan stepped Jou, grinning ear to ear.

"Merry Christmas, dudes! Fresh from da Colonel!" the blond said, holding up his red and white striped bucket.

"Put it on the counter, if you would," instructed Atem after Jou had stepped out of his shoes.

Having deposited his bucket, Jou followed Yugi into the living room and slumped down on the couch. The two fell into watching old American Christmas movies and exchanging witty and even salacious comments about the characters.

While putting Jou's chicken in the oven, Atem overheard their banter and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Christmas was a novelty that he didn't really understand, but if Yugi and Jou's comments were any indication, he was in for a fun night. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Atem stepped down into the genkan and unlocked the door to admit Bakura, who was also carrying a bucket.

"Merry Christmas, Bakura," Atem said, glad that Yugi had coached him in greetings beforehand.

"Merry Christmas, Atem. Thanks to you and Yugi for inviting me," said Bakura as he stepped out of his boots and deposited his bucket on the counter.

After putting Bakura's chicken in the oven to keep warm with the others, Atem joined the other three in the living room to watch TV. The old American movies made absolutely no sense to him, so he spent his time watching Yugi and the others interact, joke and make references that went over his ancient head.

 **Knock knock knock**

The four friends looked at each other. Atem jumped up from the couch and ran upstairs while Yugi went to answer the side door, which was opened to reveal Honda and Shizuka, who was carrying yet another red and white striped bucket.

"Merry Christmas!" the cold air rang with warm welcome.

After stepping out of their boots and leaving their chicken in the oven, Honda and Shizuka came into the living room.

"Honda, ya ol' shithead! How ya doin'?!" said Jou as he and Honda clasped hands.

"Not bad, ya dumb mutt! How's Kaiba been treating you?" Honda asked.

"He totally respects me," Jou said.

A moment of silence.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" everyone crowed while Jou glowered at the lot of them.

"Katsuya!" cried Shizuka, giving Jou a quick hug.

"How ya been, Shizu-chan?!" asked Jou.

"I've been fine. Hiroto's been keeping me very warm," said Shizuka.

"Izzat so?" asked Jou, shooting a warning glare at Honda, who grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Bloodshed appears imminent," Bakura warned.

"Ha ha ha! OK, let's not kill each other before we've seen _A Christmas Carol_ ," Yugi laughed, holding his hands up in a placatory gesture. "How about I serve up the chicken?"

"Yeah!" everyone cheered happily, pumping their fists in the air.

Yugi served up all the chicken, mashed potatoes, salad and pop onto six plates and brought one to everyone, who received it with thanks.

"Hey, Yugi. There are five of us. Why the sixth plate?" Honda asked observantly.

"Merry Christmas, Honda," came a deep voice from behind.

"Hey, that's a cool trick. I didn't know you could throw your voice," laughed Honda.

"I can't," said Yugi, fighting to keep back the giggles along with the others.

Finally, Honda took a hint and looked behind him into a pair of mirthful crimson eyes. Honda's eyes widened, his jaw opening and closing as his mind tried to process the muscular, tanned Yugi who stood before him.

"Other Yug… Pharaoh?! Is that really you?" the young engineer asked in a quavering voice.

"In the flesh," Atem said with a smile.

The next thing he knew, he had an armful of sobbing Honda pressed up against him.

"Oh, my gods! Pharaoh! How did this happen? This is so awesome! I thought we'd never see you again, but here you aaaarrre…" Honda bawled shamelessly.

Atem awkwardly patted Honda on the back, looking over his friend's wracking form with pleading eyes toward the others.

Rolling his eyes, Jou stood up, walked over and yanked Honda back from Atem.

"Git it togetha, man. Yer embarrassin' yerself!" the blond glowered at the pointy banged man.

"S-sorry. This is just so awesome. It's like, it's like a Christmas miracle," sighed Honda as he wiped away his tears.

' _More like an Obon miracle, but that's neither here nor there,'_ thought Yugi with a smile.

Atem settled on the couch next to Yugi and started in on his own dinner while they all watched the movie.

"I know who Scrooge reminds me of," commented Jou as he bit into a drumstick.

"That would make you Bob Cratchit," teased Yugi.

"I'd ratha be da Ghost a Christmas future 'n scare da shit outta'm," Jou retorted.

"I personally think _I'd_ make the best Ghost of Christmas Future," Atem input.

"Ya know, ya prolly would. Ya kin sure be scary 'nuff," teased Jou.

"Well, thank you so much," Atem glowered at the blond while the others laughed at his expense.

With a sigh and shake of his head, Atem smiled at the goodnatured ribbing and turned his attention back to the movie.

* * *

 _That night…_

The snow fell in a thick blizzard over the small town of Domino. The streets and sidewalks were just about impassable, resulting in an eerie quiet, as folk had retreated indoors and there were few, if any, cars on the roads.

White snowflakes fell in the blackness just beyond the window of the living room. This blackness was stopped and held out by the light and warmth inside the room. The others had departed long ago, leaving Yugi and Atem to themselves. Yugi leaned back into the strong arms wrapped so protectively about his shoulders. His eyes traveled from the window, up into the handsome face of his Pharaoh.

Akhnumkanun Atemu stared straight out into the snowy darkness, seemingly fascinated by the dim white floaters against the blackness of the night behind them.

Deciding that he felt neglected, Yugi reached up and gently tugged at a long blond bang. Crimson irises shifted downward to meet with twinkling violets and lips turned up impishly. A smile slowly spread across the Pharaoh's features before he leaned down and caught Yugi's upturned face in a gentle, but heated kiss. Atem's arms squeezed more tightly around Yugi's shoulders as he rested his chin on the spiky crown of Yugi's head.

Content, the couple closed their eyes and allowed sleep to claim them.

~Owari~


End file.
